Hybrid Tube & SS

My personal opinion is that a tube pre with mono block amps is the top of the pile. I prefer tube amps for most things but good SS amps have their place also. A stereo amp would be my second choice. A good tube or SS integrated would be my 3rd choice (5th if you are adding up the combinations). A hybrid would still be a usable choice but it would depend greatly on what price range I'm shopping in. 

In my experience its a whole lot more useful to compare based purely on sound quality. There's really only two technical or objective things I pay any attention to at all: cartridge output, and speaker sensitivity. But then I have over the years pretty much come to the conclusion there are no solid state (or digital) anything's that do it for me. So time being short I skip right past them now. Sorry. Works for me. 

Until you find what works for you I suggest you focus solely on sound quality and ignore as much as possible all the technical blather. Because it may be you find the sound you seek is all tubes. Or all SS. Or some of each. But if you go around asking people, forget it. The way you asked the question I could find you half a dozen SS amps that have deeper more tubey sound than an other half a dozen tube amps- and vice versa.  

Oh and the "let each do their job"- what a load of horse hockey!

Good answer.
Unless you've heard it talk is cheap.

I used to run only Transistor amps and preamps. Now use only tubes for my stereo system. Six months ago, I found the ideal tube amp (3C24 amp) for my speakers (custom built Tannoy HPD 315's), and I'm getting the best sound I've had in over 40+ years.

Sometimes the right circumstances align, and you can wind up with the best setup ever. Just got to get with the right people, or have deep pockets to get what you want. I've never been that guy, though.

Regards,
Dan

Hmmm.  There are tubes in PS Audio's BHK power amps and in the M1200.

I had all tube integrated amp now running Aexthetix pallene and Atlas both hybrids I think its the best of both worlds the Aesthetix integrated amp Mimas is very close second 

Good answer.
Unless you've heard it talk is cheap.

Was at a show one time, Chris Brady was doing extensive demo's of his turntables. He can change platters so we were able to hear everything exactly the same except for the platter. At one point for some reason he changed the phono stage. No idea what they were but the first one was all tube. He happened to be standing next to me and so after listening a minute I turned and said, "Is this all tubes?" Mostly, but there's an op-amp. "Doesn't take much then does it?" No, it does not. 

Like that. When you can hear, you can hear. Until then, very hard to explain.

I could not agree more on the listening before going ahead. Only then you can support any arguement. With my current speakers (91db) i use hybrid pre and ss stereo amp, works much better sonically than my previous tubed power amp that had plenty of power also.
G

Well, there are many speakers that work best when driven by SS amplification, wether from a hybrid integrated or a tube preamp paired with a SS amp.  There are speakers that can swing either way, thus it becomes very subjective as to what one prefers.
Then there are some high impedance speakers that beg for tube amplification.

My Esoteic MG10 are the SS type, my Tannoy Sterlings can swing, currently drive both with a tube pre into a SS amp.

Personally IMO good solid state amps have no need for a tube preamp. The key word is good SS. If you want a more profound change using tubes, I think a tube amp has more impact than a tube preamp.  IMHO

Saw a video from PS Audio saying that tubes are for preamps and SS is for amplification and that we are best to let each do their job.

I’ve found there are gazillions of variables in this hobby/disease and very few absolutes. I find when people say things like this they usually either don’t know what they’re talking about or can’t trust their own ears enough to figure things out for themselves, so relying on silly and oversimplified rules helps them feel better. I will say this though — I think it’s better to use a quality SS amp than push a tube amp past its comfort zone. That’s all I got.