If you are thinking about a Cary SLP-98, the F1 version is not as warm as the standard version. I had a friend's SLP-98 F1 in my system for a bit and it really sounded lovely. A bit colored, but in a way that fit in very well with my system.
At the same time I had an ARC LS-26 I was auditioning. At least when mated with my old Pass X250.5, the LS-26 was rolled off in the low bass and had a strident courseness in the upper midrange that was bothersome. So, I agree with other posters here. There are many excellent preamps out there, but you really do need to try them out in your system. Preamps can sound quite different from one system to the next based on the electrical interactions of the system.
Good luck,
Alan
At the same time I had an ARC LS-26 I was auditioning. At least when mated with my old Pass X250.5, the LS-26 was rolled off in the low bass and had a strident courseness in the upper midrange that was bothersome. So, I agree with other posters here. There are many excellent preamps out there, but you really do need to try them out in your system. Preamps can sound quite different from one system to the next based on the electrical interactions of the system.
Good luck,
Alan