What tube pre amp match up with a solid state amp

Atmasphere, I believe you. The whole point of true balanced should be to eliminate IC wire/wire length influences. I have a hybrid preamp with both SE and BAL outputs. I used high quality BAL cables for many years; but occasionally I would put some SE ICs between the amp and preamp and that arrangement would sound a touch better. Eventually, I moved my amp closer to the preamp and went with high quality SE ICs. I think it sounds better with SE ICs because on paper my preamp wants 20k Ohms min impedance and my amp is 22k ohms BAL looking into it. I think the SE has slightly higher impedance. My ICs also have switchable impedance settings. Is my thinking correct? My system today sounds very good with satisfying low end.

Tonywinsc, your thinking is correct. Single ended cables and preamps have no termination standard and tend to be high impedance. Under these circumstances the cable cannot be very long and how it is built has a huge effect on its sound.

Wolf_garcia, it is evident from your post that what ever balanced equipment you were using does not support the balanced standard. Your results are typical in that regard. I use Mogami Neglex all that time and have no troubles with it at all, but I am careful to use generic balanced cables onlly when I have confidence that the equipment supports its use.

Atmasphere, I use balanced outs from my DAC to balanced ins on my preamp (Kavent S-33), and it was the balanced out from the preamp to the power amp where the Mogami sounded crappy, and the balanced Diamondbacks sound great. Even the weird (but seemingly decent) "green mystery" balanced cable supplied with the Kavent sounded better than those particular Mogamis (Guitar Center...maybe they were crap?). I was surprised really as Mogamis usually sound fine (like I said, the Akito's Mogami cable sounds great) and I've used 'em as mic cables in pro audio gear for years. Go figure. I might be the only person in audio history to have a bad Mogami experience.

Wolf, I don't think so- I think it has more to do with how the cable is driven.

Unfortunately there is not a lot of information on the Kavent, but likely what is happening (as this is very common) is that the preamp puts signal current on the ground connection of the cable (If the preamp has XLR outputs and also RCAs that both work at the same time without operating a switch, then this is the case).

If it does that then you will hear pretty big differences in cables (which is not supposed to happen with balanced...). IOW it does not support the standard, but in that regard it has a lot of company. This is why there is so much confusion about balanced operation.

Atmasphere is corrent in that there is a lot of confusion about balanced operation. The proplem being that too many manufacturers do not clarify the type of operation used in their "balanced" connections.

I have been inside a lot of equipment over the years only to find some components claiming to have balanced connection simply tie pin #1 and pin #3 together. This is no more than a single ended circuit with a XLR connector. Some manufacturers do this because they don't think there is a difference between single ended and true balanced and don't beleive consumers can hear a difference. Others do it simply for marketing to those who are looking for balanced. Unfortunately, these are the products that created all the confusion and they are deceiving consumers.

All of our Purity Audio Design preamps are true balanced and do agree with others that when done properly, it will make a difference as long as it is being used with associated components that also uses true balanced circuitry.
You have to be careful not to judge say a preamp with true balanced outputs when it is feeding an amplifier that simply has pin 1 and pin 3 tied together on a XLR connector. You are not getting the benefits of balanced in such an arrangement as you are back to dealing with the ground so you cannot put any blame on the preamp. It happens far too often.