Tube in Preamp or Power amp?


I have been thinking to move from a solid state int. amp to the tube world. If I were to go separate and if one has to be SS, would it be better to have tube in the preamp or in the power amp? or would it make any difference since I'm mixing tube with ss?
solaris4ever

Showing 2 responses by tls49


I doubt you will get a definitive answer to your question, but you do need to maintain system synergy.

For a tube amp, the speaker's impedance curve should not have substantial dips below the nominal impedance.

For a tube preamp, proper impedance matching to the SS amp must be observed.

If you are going to try a tube component, just make sure it will work properly with the rest of your system.
They do have a highish output impedance so make sure your amp's input impedance is a higher value than the pre's output.
Just being higher is too vague, as it should be at least 10 times higher at all frequencies.