ok, shameless plug-time - buy my electrocompaniet aw100 amp i have adwertised f/s on a-gon - i doubt there's anything as nice for my asking price. much warmer than typical solid-state, w/o losing what s/s does well. i replaced my gfa555 (now used as a sub amp) w/electrocompaniet. why then, am i selling, ewe may ask? cuz it's not bridgeable, & i want to run a bridged pair of 'em. those oddyssey amps are supposed to be nice - i almost sprang for a pair to run in bi-amped config, but research on electrocompaniet showed that even their aw60 puts out more current than the oddyssey's, & i *know* i like the electro sound. and, the oddysseys cannot be switched from stereo to mono w/o being sent back to the factory.
regarding preamps, tubes is great 0 i especially like the melos music director i bought used, but almost as good, at ~ghalf the price, wood be a melos sha-gold or maestro. i also liked the cary slp98 a lot, but the melos is in another league, imho.
whatever ya get, i recommend buying used, especially if auditioning stuff is difficult. that way, if yure not happy, ewe can sell it w/o taking a beating.
good luck, doug