I can only echo what others have said about the magical synergy between Atma-sphere preamp and amp. I also have an MA2 and prior to my current A-S MP-1, had a Mark Levinson reference 32 preamp. The change to the MP-1 wrought a huge difference in the sound - musicality, soundstaging, everything - just seemed to bring the MA 2's to a new level. This is my preamp-amp for keeps. Needless to say, I think that's the way to go........Good luck.
Balanced preamps with Atma-sphere MA-2's
I just purchased a pair of Atma-sphere MA-2 Mk. II.3 OTL monoblocks (thanks Siddh) to drive my Dynaudio Confidence C2's. Right now, I am using a single-ended SAS 10A tube preamp with pretty darn good results. But, Ralph at AS and Brian at Essential Audio state that the AS amps really need a balanced preamp to shine. What are you MA-2 owners using for a preamp? TIA.