Once again...looking for a "tube like" SS preamp

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I have yet to hear a solid state pre that sounds like tubes. I have tested the Jeff Rowland Capri in my solid state system and I was also going down a similar path as you are now. It is a great pre - I heard things in recordings in the context of my system I had not heard before as it is very transparent and highly resolving but ultimately was too fatiguing for me, although to a lesser degree than other SS pre's. The Ayre K5xe MP was in my system smoother and had more body than the Capri but that isn't tube like either. None of them have the harmonic richness of dimensionality that tubes can give.

None of them have the harmonic richness of dimensionality that tubes can give.

Mikey, have you heard a TEAD Vibe7 with Pulse II? I am not going to argue that it is the same as a tubed preamp, but it certainly has the harmonic richness and dimensionality you indicate are lacking in the SS preamps you have heard, and it certainly sounds different than all the other SS preamps I have owned or heard.

After years of trying many different tubed and SS preamps, the Vibe/Pulse is the one preamp I can live with and have no regrets. Thats why I think the OP should give it a try if he really wants a SS preamp. The absence of balanced outputs should also not be a concern as I use mine into Jensen transformers for the rca/XLR conversion then into balanced amps with no sonic penalty whatsoever that I can hear.

The last time I counted, there were "eleventy eleven dozen" SS pre's that sounded "tubelike". Are there any SS pre's left that sound SS. The logic of buying a SS pre that sounds "tubelike" eludes me. I'm sure there are many who can enlighten me in regard to this matter.

"The last time I counted, there were "eleventy eleven dozen" SS pre's that sounded "tubelike". Are there any SS pre's left that sound SS. The logic of buying a SS pre that sounds "tubelike" eludes me. I'm sure there are many who can enlighten me in regard to this matter."

Orpheus10 I'm sure your question is rhetorical but please let me make a stab at the REAL question and concern :)

"I want a ss preamp that has the harmonic richness, 3d palpability, believability factor, being drawn into the performance just like I hear with tubes but I don't want tubes, I want the plug and play convenience of ss. I DON'T want to deal with the hassle of tubes including wondering when the tubes are not operating at specifications, when to change, what tubes to use, my perception that they are just too much maintenance. Now please tell me what ss preamp to buy"

It is my experience that the best tube preamps can do EVERYTHING a great ss preamp can do, but the best ss preamp can't do what ALL tube preamps can even at the budget end of the spectrum, let you know that tubes are in the circuit for better or worse. The electrical characteristics of the two devices are different. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. If you don't want to hassle with tubes, get a ss preamp. If you love the sound that tubes present, get a tube preamp. I don't see any middle ground on this issue. There are some very nice ss preamps out there, make your choice and live with it but never the two shall be the same. If you want to lessen your exposure to tubes but want "tube sound" better to go tube preamp and ss amp.

Orpheus10 has a point. As a group we cannot agree on what is tube like sound, hence we get a huge range of choices for solid state that sound like tubes. There's inexpensive tubes, vintage tubes, modern tubes and modern/expensive tube sounds. They all sound different. The OP doesn't tell us why he can't use a tube pre and is considering going with a Bryston as a substitute. Go figure!