Esoteric C03 preamp or Mark Levinson 326S preamp- ANY and ALL FEEDBACK / HELP PLEASE

I enjoy reading about your Audio journey- fsmithjack
at your level of gear in performance and price, listen to as much gear as you can (even if you have to road trip it). This is the best part of our hobby.
Happy Listening!

Thanks guys - yes you guys maybe right where I probably should not blame tubes in general. Its just that I have for the first time have found both bloom and warmth now with my speaker, cables, dac, amp combo which I always needed tubes in chain to get there.

I just never got this close to the type of sound I want without tubes so want to see how far I can push it along.

I think the main reason for me now as it relates to my past experience is that with my new speakers - Magico S5 are just so transparent that they really provide a true transparent window to my source at a level I have never known before and I love the sound of my source. Bricasti M1SE, dynamic but warm and musical yet also super transparent itself. I think before these speakers I had needed a tube pre to spice things up so the speakers preferred the mix.  

Now it is like - my speakers - expose - and show naked everything in there where they like a little richer, full sounding cable as long as the cable has those things as small little ads but as in themselves quite transparent. My cables are now Kubula-Sosna Emotions. These are a bit fuller than I would have wanted but man this system is so sensitive. The slightest leaning either way is laid thread bare. It's great from the standpoint that I love transparency but so hard to dial in with such a finicky micro-scope of a system lens.  

A little shading here of there to just nudge the sound a bit here or there but anything more than nudge turns into a sort shunt or muting or adding a veil and the sound goes backwards. Much more than I would ever had thought. I have been playing with a hand full of different and IC's and am amazed how similar sounding IC's were before now completely change everything. So rather than a nudge here of there a certain IC is like through wet a towel over my speakers or they become bright and just the magic disappears here before they added a nice bit of this or that and now can't even be considered. Kind of painful but also appreciate it just not used to it,  

I've never experienced this level of transparency or I guess you could say pickiness also. I mean that is probably not accurate per say but yes if my rig doesn't like it then it basically hates and tells you. I mean if I was a reviewer this might be good because everything is under a micro-scope but on same hand this new item might sound like crap here and be nice in another system so I am really in the land of trial and error. I know everything is system and room dependent but this is at a level I am not used to at all.   

All this said I am looking to add those things that have a pretty dang transparent nature as for it to just fit in and then my hope is whatever character it has will be work ok when thread bare. So if the ML pre is sort of laid back I may really like it and if the C03 is up front i may really like it or I could dislike either for this same very reason. So picky.

So to blame tubes is probably wrong but to advance things I am also walking a bit more careful knowing what I know now about how picky this thing has become.

That is why I am thinking of staying away from tubes. Playing the odds. I think I can get there with tubes but the sound im looking for tubes wise would be out of my price range I think. ARC REF 5SE or maybe a newer higher end VAC.

I am thinking one of the SS would be a better but I also think the right tube amp that is super transparent but adds just a bit of that tube goodness would probably be incredible the question what tube amp is that. What is the most transparent tube preamp. The one that just adds a bit of tubes but is super transparent. That one would be awesome. Now the problem is I bet that tube preamp is double or triple the cost of an SS version.   

previously owned a 326s and thought it superlative. loved everything about it. wish i’d kept it instead of continual trading!

 I would go with the atmosphere.   If you didn't like the bat in my opinion the tubes were not the problem. I would definitely go with Tubes for what you're looking for. 

I would stay away from ARC because they are at their limits working with the Pass Labs amps.

I'm curious as to what you mean by this Ralph. I know many who are very happy with the ARC preamp/Pass Lab amp combination, including myself.

I vote 326S.  The esoteric leans more towards the clinical side in my experience while the Levinson leans towards musical while maintaining outstanding detail and transparency.  The 326 will never fatigue while the Esoteric might...

Both are great units IMO... 326S owner.

Thanks - guys - really these two preamps because last week i got a BAT Preamp and just feel Tubes based on what I’m after won’t work. The BAT compared to my Bricasti direct gave up much too much. I much prefer direct. Now when i used to Use a tube amp i found a pre to be much better. I’m amazing at how much of a difference my new Speakers show and expose everything. The BAT is fine as far as being a nice tube amp but I’m after transparency and dynamics while still be musical but tubes just don’t seem to fit hence my choice for SS. Both dealers will give me what I paid for my BAT and I just need to pay the difference in asking price plus I thought these are two good SS preamps but wanted some more info before i pull the trigger.

I think if you look back through all of your threads you will see that @ebm, who has a similar system recommended a CJ preamp. 

That preamp if it were me would be one of my considerations, another consideration if you want solid state would be a Pass preamp.

atmasphere has great comments, but I don't think Aesthetix would be a good sonic match with your Pass amp. You would obviously be the final judge of that in your system. I am an Aesthetix owner so no issues with Aesthetix. If you wanted to change amps I would recommend an Aesthetix Calypso with Aesthetix Atlas mono amps

I really don't understand why its down to these two preamps, but if

Transparency - Delicate - Linear - High resolution - microscope but not sterile not etched or lifeless - I know there is a fine Line here but I'm looking to walk the line as close as I can - real see through into the music - transparent to the source because I love my DAC - extended and to remove as many layers without being clinical - image and sound stage lover - tight bass - hate flab - like speed and transparency but needs to be musical.

and you have an amp with a balanced input, then for starters I would not look for a solid state preamp, and balanced operation will be helpful. There are a number of manufacturers that make such things. I would stay away from ARC because they are at their limits working with the Pass Labs amps. So

BAT
Atma-Sphere
Aesthtix
Allnic

might be some good places to look. I am partial of course to the Atma-Sphere stuff (I think the direct coupled output allow it to play deep bass without the flab you mentioned).

If you really really have to go solid state, I would look at Ayre and Pass Labs.

As a further recommendation, if you're going balanced get a preamp which supports the balanced line standard (AES file 48 if you care to google) which will reduce the effect of interconnect cables on the sound in your system (read more detailed, more natural).