Lapierre, my speakers are Nola Viper IIa's, recently purchased on the 'gon. So many people have said that Nola/Alons sound best with tube gear, that I have been on this quest to find a decent tube preamp for not alot of money. My MF A3cr power amp just seems too good to me to discount just because its not tube gear. Therefore, this is why I've been asking questions MF pres vs tube pre's. Thanks for your input.