Not sure I follow the reasoning here.
Higher gain gives greater dynamics. That's a good thing.
There seems to be a presumption that a tube preamp will automatically have "tube noise". Not so. If it has a noisy tube, change it to a new quiet one. A noisy tube is one that makes sounds or hiss when it's playing... and does not mean microphonic when you tap on it. Tubes are not built to be vibrated by tapping.
Still, you should always check out a pre in your system to be sure it works well with other components. Miss-matches in impedance and cabling can make a difference in SQ.
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Wilson Yvette speakers, Conrad-Johnson ART88 pre, TEA1bc phono, and ART27A Amplifier, Marantz digital player, Rega Planar 10 turntable / Apheta 3 cartridge,Wireworld Gold and Platinum Eclipse IC and speaker, I AQ Hurricane, Tornado power cables, Shunyata Denali 2 conditioner, dCS Bartok DAC/Streamer
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