You might want to consider a Pass X1 or the like. Warm, transparent, no maintenance hassles, and as low a noise floor as you can think of.
BAT VK50SE vs CJ 16LS vs ARC 25mrk II/Ref2
I'm thinking to upgrade my pre-amp from ARC LS2 to a better remote control pre-amp. What is best driving a tube amp (Wolcott) and SoundLab speakers? Is there big difference between ARC ref2 and ARC ref2mrk2? Thanks for any input.