Getting into Tube Equipment

Ahoy Captain,
& welcome to the world of vinyl. As some of the boys stated above, & a set-up I employ myself, a Tube pre-amp mated to a SS amp (an Audion Premier 2 box/MM pre-amp & Classe’ DR9), combines the sonic signature of 6922 tubes with the power, control, reliability, & convenience of SS. So I commend your pursuit of venturing into tube pre-amp territory, "BUT" why swim against the tide??? The Rogue Cronus MAGNUM (have to get the Magnum II) is reputed to have a good phono stage, 100W of power, & that’s just for openers. Now that KT-150 tubes are available you’ll have excellent dynamics, + for not a lot of money you can taylor your sound later on by scraping the JJ Electronic tubes [ (2) 12AX7, (3) 12AU7 ] and rolling them with Philips, RCA, Westinghouse, or even Mullard tubes. If you want to blow the wad go Dutch or German 12AX7/12AU7 tubes.
The thing is with the Rogue Cronus MAGNUM it’s phono stage will allow you to go as far as using High output MC cartridges & no extra interconnects or power cords that you’d have with separates, so with one purchase, in one box, you are done.

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0816/Rogue_Audio_Cronus_Magnum_II_Stereo_Integrated_...

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/rogue-audio-cronus-magnum-integrated-amplifier-tas-209-1/

As for the Harbeth Super hl5plus speakers are concerned? I’d do a lot more looking around if I were you. Why settle for a speaker that only goes down to 40Hz? You’re missing out on a lot of music!!! My experience with British speakers is that they’re over priced, over rated & they under perform. If you’re enamoured with Brit speakers may I suggest looking at the various ProActs.
If you do decide to go with the Rogue, may I suggest used Coincident Speaker Technology speakers. Easy to drive, very well made & IMHO, dollar for dollar will out perform Harbeth’s offerings .... substantially. http://coincidentspeaker.com. (see Hi-Fi Shark, used).
If you’re on more of a budget may I suggests PSB’s Imagine T3 Towers. Giant killers on a budget.
Best of luck.

I'd give the Harbeth Super hl5plus speakers a listen.  They will begin to roll off at 40Hz, but the bass will be present into the low thirties and beyond without doubling effects and port chuffing.  They will, however, require some power.  If you are dead set on going down the tube path, however, speakers like the Coincident Technology speaker recommended by a previous poster, or the Tektons, or any high efficiency horn type speaker may go better with the "gestalt" of your system.  Of course, you will be missing out on the incredible natural presentation of the Harbeths (which can be obtained at substantially less cost than you will end up paying for the tube rig).

+2 for the Rogue Cronus Magnum II integrated tub amp. I am driving a pr. of Magnapan 1.7s and it does a beautiful job. It also has a very decent phono stage. Can buy new for under $3,000.00 and sometimes find used for under 2K. Made in the USA and some of the best customer service ever...Jim

Ralph,
I've been reading your posts for a while, very insightful and much appreciated.

About 4 ohms vs 8, couple questions...

- Isn't the lower impedance floor also a key consideration in amp matching? I'm using EL4s (4 ohm port) to drive 4 ohm speakers, that according to JA at Stereophile are" 5 ohms for the entire audioband other than the region between 100 and 300Hz, where it reaches a minimum value of 3.5 ohms at 165Hz". There are some 8 ohm speakers with minimums well below 3, isn't this a significant consideration?

- My volume levels are fairly low, wouldn't material distortion only begin when you push the amp nearer to its limits.

Thanks, looking forward to your comments on this.