Tubes for B&W 803 good?

I have a solid state amp and tube pre-amp (ARC LS-15) with 802 matrix IIIs. I love what the tubes did in smoothing out the highs compared to ss pre-amps I tried. ARC pairs up pretty well with B&Ws.

Tube preamp sure, tube amp with the matrix series not so good.

If you're talking about the Nautilus 803's, make sure you get an
amp with enough power to drive them. I think Plinius and Classe'
amps work well with B & W because they are warm enough to tame the high end, which can be fatiguing with B & W speakers.
I would shy away from tubes with B & W because they tend to
be inefficient and hard to drive. But, with the right amp, the N803's
can sound great. I heard them with a Plinius SA 250Mark IV and
they sounded great. I don't think the Rotel would do them justice.
Just my opinion.

Tony - may i know what your solid state amp is?

Yes I am talking about B&W nautilus 803's.

I will also be using them for HT movies so I need to route another pre/pro to the tube pre-amp right?

Do you want to have separate pre/pro's for two channel [Music] and multi-channel [Home Theatre] listening?

Ideally I want the same pre/pro for both but if I go tube then i will be separate. No choice he he

Doodle... I have an ARC 100.2 ss amp driving 802 Matrix IIIs. Definitely go with a ss amp for the B&Ws to get the most out of them, but I strongly recommend a tubed preamp based on extensive auditioning. I have heard Nautilus 802s with a similar combination (Conrad Johnson pre) and the sound was great. I would get the best electronics you can on the used market if necessary to match with your speakers, I agree that the Rotel probably won't bring out the best in your speakers.

I have my N 803's with BAT VK-150SE's and they sounds amazing