Solid State amps with tube preamps

One of my favorite combinations is exactly that, tube preamp and solid state power amp. I have a big pair of Martin Logan Quest Z and feel I am losing none of the tube magic from my preamp. Solid state power has advantages for bass control, and a "good" solid state power amp will not rob you of the tube aura from the preamp. If you can bi-amp, then run the bass section with solid state and run the mids/highs with tube power. That is an experiment on my list of to-do's.

Also, you really should try out at least one decent switching amp. Most of these are simply amazing, they give you all of the solid state grunt and control, but also deliver amazing tube-like mids/highs. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Hope this helps.

Running a class d SDS 470c with a tube preamp and I love this combination.

The best I have ever heard Martin Logans sound is with tube amps. Long ago I had Infinity RS1Bs and used ARC solid state amps for the bass modules and ARC tube amps for the treble panels. I matched that up with an ARC tube preamp and the best TT I could afford at the time. It couldn't compete with the current top shelf systems today, but it was very musical and just a lot of fun to listen to. I've always liked the solid state amp, tube preamp approach particularly if you value dynamic bass while still retaining some tube sweetness in the system.

I have the Martin Logan Summits which I used with an Aesthetix Calypso tube preamp and Rogue M-180 tube amp for several years. I recently replaced the Rogue M-180 with the Aesthetix Atlas amp which has tube input and solid state output. The change has been very satisfying.

I like my tubes in the phono stage, as I believe cracks & pops behave a bit differently going through a tubed stage as opposed to a solid state stage.