Handling them is not quite the issue. As someone how makes amps like that (disclaimer: I build and sell amps), there is one small caveat.
The Ear amps, the H2O amps, the Rowlands, Red Dragon, the ones I make......a bunch more, use ICEpower amp modules. The only drawback is that the frequency respsonse is load dependent. You need to keep that in mind if you audition them on another system.
They should work with a tube preamp, but almost all of the ones mentioned above have the stock input impedance of 8K ohms. If the tube preamp is capacitor-coupled, there may be a slight loss of bass.
Emphasis on "slight" and "may". Depends on the design.
The only consistent comments that I hear about the EAR designs is that they are a real pain to attach speaker cables to. It is quite possible that they have some newer designs that don't have that problem.
The Ear amps, the H2O amps, the Rowlands, Red Dragon, the ones I make......a bunch more, use ICEpower amp modules. The only drawback is that the frequency respsonse is load dependent. You need to keep that in mind if you audition them on another system.
They should work with a tube preamp, but almost all of the ones mentioned above have the stock input impedance of 8K ohms. If the tube preamp is capacitor-coupled, there may be a slight loss of bass.
Emphasis on "slight" and "may". Depends on the design.
The only consistent comments that I hear about the EAR designs is that they are a real pain to attach speaker cables to. It is quite possible that they have some newer designs that don't have that problem.