Tubed pre-amp for solid state amp?

CJ will give a very warm, lush sound. Maybe even look into to Golden Tube, Manley, or Quicksilver which are not SO warm. For you AR and SF may not be warm enough. Also, do not rule out the use of a CD player with tube output(Ah! Tjoeb, Cary, Jolida, etc.) if your CDP is old.

Did the same, times two, really. I have an AH!Tjoeb and a VTL 2.5 running into a Bryston 4b-st amp. It sounds really swell. However, one thing that I have recently found to be a little more annoying than I initially gave it credit for is that I just can't seem to manage to get the tube rush down to a level that I like. (I've retubed the pre twice with allegedly fancy tubes). The Tjoeb is as quiet as a churchmouse, but the VTL is not. For most kinds of music that I listen to it is perfect, but I've found that, with a recent classical purchasing spree, although the dynamics are stunning, during the otherwise quiet times the tube rush can be noticable and annoying. Just my experience, and hopefully one that is remediable because the sound is otherwise very much to my liking, but possibly a valid consideration.

Hi Ssing; If you really want to stay within your $600-800. budget, the Sonic Frontiers SFL-1 with a a mullard tube is rich and warm, and is available used in your price range. The stock Sovtek tube makes this pre-amp much more neutral. Tube rolling is easy and inexpensive because it only has one tube. I happily used this pre-amp with a solid state McCormack amp for several years. Good Luck. Craig.

Garfish beat me to the punch. The SFL-1 is definitely worth looking into.

Ssing: I've usually used a tube front end and a SS amp combo for years. I trade my equipment off once a year or so (like most of us I suppose)and I'm turning over my AR LS-3 and replacing with my 5th Conrad Johnson tube preamp. The LS is incredibly fast and transparent and one of the most neutural ss preamps I've ever had and like it a lot. But the CJs' seem to breathe life into my system like no other tube preamp I've heard under $2000, and believe me, I've had many. I typically use a class "A" ss power amp because they just seem to get the phase and harmonics right while retaining a lot of air and 3-D space. While I can certainly get this with a tube amp, it has been my experience that while I get a nice richness in the bass, I can't get the control, bottom end punch or ultra low frequencies I require without re-mortgaging my house to buy a new high powered tube amp, or paying $500(or more)to retube a used one. Don't forget about interconnects too. As I'm sure your're aware, a great cable can really open up a system, just as a lousy one can turn great components from Hi-fidelity to walkie-talkie. Morbius