My experience mirrors what is being said above. A few years back I was looking for an amp and listened to an all Mc system: a CD player, C220 pre, and MC275 vs. MC252 amps, with B&W 804S (the speakers I owned). While both SS and tubes sounded great, I preferred the 275. This is a personal preference, though. The 252 was very good too.
Keep in mind the speaker needs are key. My 804S don't need a lot of power so the 75 Wpc was enough, and the aluminum tweaters in my view benefit from tubes. As Brianmgrarcom
said above, B&W 802D need a lot more power and have diamond tweaters, so the amp choice is likely different.
I also second tube rolling. It has been very nice for me. Start with the small signal tubes rather than the KT88, as they will make a larger impact.
cheers
Keep in mind the speaker needs are key. My 804S don't need a lot of power so the 75 Wpc was enough, and the aluminum tweaters in my view benefit from tubes. As Brianmgrarcom
said above, B&W 802D need a lot more power and have diamond tweaters, so the amp choice is likely different.
I also second tube rolling. It has been very nice for me. Start with the small signal tubes rather than the KT88, as they will make a larger impact.
cheers