IMO a tube preamp is the way to go. They may not be as outright accurate as SS preamp but they are much more musical. The brightness you spoke of in another post will be mostly gone with a tube preamp. This doesn't mean the sound is rolled off or dull in any way. You have to hear it for yourself to understand.
You have hit it on the head!

This is what I try to explain to people about Marantz gear.