Biamping combining Tube and SS

I know of a few audiophiles who do / have done this. The argument that is put forward for combining tube (for the mids and upper frequencies) and solid state amps (for the bass frequencies) in a bi-amp arrangement is that the tube amp yields a nice, sweet treble, while the solid state amp provides tight, dynamic, well-controlled bass.

Personally, I didn't care much for the tube/solid state combo in the systems I have heard. The tube amp and the solid state will usually have quite different sonic signatures, and on high-resolution speakers the differences are quite detectable. I think one gets better results by using a tube preamp and solid state power amp.

Sorry if this sounds crude, but why not just get one right amp rather than two wrong amps?

-IMO

I don't think it's a matter of getting the right amp. Right now I am using a tubed Sonic Frontiers Line 3 pre amp with the Bryston amp. The combo is quite nice. It's just a matter of playing around as we all seem to do. On a technical note, how do I do it?

Assuming your speakers have a biwiring option (i.e. two sets of binding posts on each speaker, one for "highs" and one for "lows") and that you're passively biamping (i.e using the speakers' passive crossover) try this simple process:
*remove the biwiring shorter from each speakers binding posts,
*connect the pre output to each of the amps input (amps are switched off, of course, and plugged off the mains).
*then connect the tube amp outputs to the "highs" binding post on each speaker, and the bryston's outputs to the "lows" binding post, accordingly.
*check all connections are OK.
*plug in the amps (to the mains)
Switch on the amps, and you're there! However, if the amps do not have identical or very similar electrical characteristics, the sound may not be top-notch. Good luck.

You will need a way to match volume level or be very lucky (not much chance). Won't hurt to try.

There is no reason not to try this, but gain matching will be your biggest challenge. If one amp has, say, 27dB of gain and the other has more, or less, you can either have a technician adjust one of the amps (if the design allows it) so that the gain of both is identical, or try inserting an extra potentiometer (which, with extra cabling, is sure to degrade the sound), or give up on that combination of amplifiers.

I have used this combination (along with a tube preamp) for years and loved it. I like the sound on the lower end that the SS gives in combination with the tube sound on the upper end. I use an external crossover, so all amps are wired through it and the preamp is wired into it also. Biamping is more expensive but it has been worth to me.