Strange that the Coincident Statement Linestage isn’t on the list. For nearly half your price range for a second hand unit, this is one of the most direct tube preamplifier on the market: 101D triode (the Western Electric Replica PSvane) directly heated, external power supply, not any other active component on the signal way. It use some japaneese occ mumetal transformers in and out for the volume control, symetrical and non symetrical connections. New it is on your price range, and the transformers are actually better than some years ago.
Use it with the best A class solid state power amplifier(s) you can find (that would give you the hot touch, drive , rich timbre and transparency). The preamp will give high level transparency, resolution, fludity, air, soundstage deepness.
The Ypsilon PST100 may be a good upgrade to the Coincident Statement Linestage in the same phylosophy of transparency and musical involvment, but the price is a bit different....
I don’t really agree with some that say we can’t have resolution and beauty at the same time. A real high resolution may be partnered with beauty, if the audio gears are stressless, but not bottlenecks (and the room / speakers partnership effective). In this price range, it would be a shame to have bottlenecks. And for me, a too cold but high resolution solidstate preamp is... a bottleneck as it fail to give any musical implication. But of course, a chain of gain stages like dac, preamp and power amp, are and addition of works on the modulation wave, and an opportunity to try to give some extra heart touching capabilities, that make the music a bit extra-ordinary although the scheme and component may keep the transparency and resolution as high as possible.
Of course, no doubt that there are many good preamps in the world, sure I would be happy with many preamps that are spoken about here... everybody have his own pearl on mind... different of the neighbour one....
Regards, Nico.
Use it with the best A class solid state power amplifier(s) you can find (that would give you the hot touch, drive , rich timbre and transparency). The preamp will give high level transparency, resolution, fludity, air, soundstage deepness.
The Ypsilon PST100 may be a good upgrade to the Coincident Statement Linestage in the same phylosophy of transparency and musical involvment, but the price is a bit different....
I don’t really agree with some that say we can’t have resolution and beauty at the same time. A real high resolution may be partnered with beauty, if the audio gears are stressless, but not bottlenecks (and the room / speakers partnership effective). In this price range, it would be a shame to have bottlenecks. And for me, a too cold but high resolution solidstate preamp is... a bottleneck as it fail to give any musical implication. But of course, a chain of gain stages like dac, preamp and power amp, are and addition of works on the modulation wave, and an opportunity to try to give some extra heart touching capabilities, that make the music a bit extra-ordinary although the scheme and component may keep the transparency and resolution as high as possible.
Of course, no doubt that there are many good preamps in the world, sure I would be happy with many preamps that are spoken about here... everybody have his own pearl on mind... different of the neighbour one....
Regards, Nico.