Tube buffer or tube preamp

Without pregidous, buffers are usfull if there's an impedence mismatch.

It may appear your pre is outclassed by the rest of your system, you could beg or borrow other species of preamps perhaps Pass or even Moon which may give you synergy or ARC or Vac on the other side to find the forgiveness with resolution you seek.

Adding more components like a buffer is oportunity to introduce more colouration and distotion not to mention the added cost of another cable.

Shorest signal paths, quality parts well implemented . The devil is in the detail.

I'm sure there are other valid opinions, but I would prefer to weed out the offensive component than to upholster over it.

All The Best.

@elizabeth, how did you have the VAC tube preamp wired up in your system?  Did you use the tube preamp in the solid state preamp's tape loop or between the two solid state components?  If you used it between the two solid state components, did you use the fixed outputs (tape or fixed out) or variable (preamp outs) set to unity gain?

Sent you a PM about this also...

Lucky I was browsing ’threads I have posted to’...
Currently I just turned off the VAC Standard and now just play the DAC to the Bryston. Did this about two weeks ago.

The VAC had DAC in to the bypass of the VAC selector switch, then out was the main out to a input on the Bryston pre.
This was judged to be pretty good before I bought my current IC (Kimber KS1016/1116)
Now, after recently fooling around to see how it stacks up... I do not need the VAC. The sound is cleaner without the VAC. Where before the new IC, the VAC in the circuit sounded about the same, and the sound was a little mellower.

I previously had my Bryston main preamp as the connection to the amp via XLR 7 meter. Still is.
I have also had my SCD777ES Sony CD SACD player straight to the Bryston pre.
And the output of my other preamp an Audio Research SP-15 which I use just for the tubed phono stage.. via XLR to the Bryston pre.

My Bryston BP1.5 phono is not getting much use. As the cartridge is sounding lean on the Rega. (my guess is the suspension dried up on the Benz?)
So I just use my Kuzma Stabi/Sogi S TT with a Dynavector 17D3 to the ARC preamp (which again goes to the Bryston)
The Kuzma Dynavector ARC sound is really good.

As to the future.. I may add in a Onkyo Intergra P308 preamp I have sitting around and use it just to add tone controls.
(I have to see how the Magnean 20.7 sound first with all sorts of music. The main reason for a tone control would be to turn down the bass on some Rock music.. in my apartment.)
LOL