If you had to choose: tube amp or tube pre-amp?

Tube Amp first. Tube Pre second. Tubes ATW.

Thanks everyone, I am using Klipsch RP-5's for my front channels

Basically my typical music plays through these components :

MacBook or airport ---> Monarchy DIP Upsampler --xlr--> Emotiva XDA-1 DAC --xlr ---> B&K amp ---> RP-5's

The preamp built into the Emotiva gives the music a very thin, scratchy sound at higher volumes...Im not familiar with how to describe it in audiophile vernacular, but it sounds digital with no richness. So I was hoping throughing in a tube pre after the DAC will clear up that problem....anyone have an opinion on the Little Dot IV SE if I can't find an AES?

I meant to say in my last post that I run to the Sony from the DAC when I want to listen with the subwoofer playing, but I've found whether I go straight to the B&K and bypass the Sony, or not, I stll get the sharp sounding music the higher the volume goes.

I'm playing all flac music 24/96, and I have my speakers hooked up with quad 16ga wire, I'm not using the line -in for the sub.

The amp has to work with the speakers. Period. So get whatever amp does that best. If you like the sound of a tight and tuneful bass, then SS would probably control that cone better. If you like it a little looser, then tubes will probably fir the bill. If you don't care and just want bloom then tubes will give you that.

Then match the preamp to the amp.

The preamp built into the Emotiva gives the music a very thin, scratchy sound at higher volumes...Im not familiar with how to describe it in audiophile vernacular, but it sounds digital with no richness. So I was hoping throughing in a tube pre after the DAC will clear up that problem.

This thread and this thread may be of interest. Among other things, these threads refer to issues with the digital volume control in the Emotiva DAC. If you haven't already, it would be a good idea to try running the DAC through the Sony with the DAC's volume control turned all the way up, with the setting of the Sony's volume control reduced correspondingly.

Although the adverse effects of the digital volume control can be expected to worsen as its setting is lowered, the reason that you may be perceiving the problem to a greater degree as its setting is raised may simply be that our hearing mechanisms become more sensitive to high frequencies (relative to their sensitivity to mid frequencies) at higher volume levels.

Beyond that, I wouldn't try to mask the problem by changing the preamp or amp. The best recipe for success is usually to try to correct the root cause of a problem.

Regards,
-- Al