Yo Jdier! Be advised that tube pres come it 2 flavors, the classic, where the main power is routed through tubes, and hybrid designs where the front end has a small tube in it to add selective variable distortion, often called "warmth". There are different routing solutions which affect whether you can route the signal around the tube and basically bypass it.
Real tube mic pres are usually Godawful expensive, and the hybrid types often are worse than a compareably priced pure solid state amp.
What the tube does is alter or "color" sound, which can be good or bad, depending on the source. Don't be sucked in by tube hype, or anti-hybrid hype either. Good pres sound good, cheap ones usually sound bad, and some hybrids are quite useful. The presence or absence of a tube is not the major factor. Color can be added to the signal chain in other ways, by a tube mic, by FX boxes/plugins, or by certain types of optical compression. Also, changing the tube in a hybrid amp to a real good one (e.g. Mullen), can have a considerable effect on what kind of color the amp produces. Favorite hybrid types include Studio Projects VTB-1, Presonus Blue Tube, and DBX386. For a great tube pre, check
www.Mercenary.com under preamps, and prepare for a little sticker shock. Then get ready to re-mortgage the house and buy an Avalon.-Richie
