Help recommend a good tube preamp

Thanks for the recommendation, rocray. I understand that in this industry, there are a lot of great designers producing great products on a bespoke / small-scale.

I’d prefer to stick to the more established lines if possible.

What preamp are you using now, and what kind of sound characteristics/improvements are you looking for?

@soix the details are in the opening post.

What preamp are you using now, and what kind of sound characteristics/improvements are you looking for?

@soix The details are in the 1st post. I have used C2600 (Mac) and Rogue RP5. Liked both - particularly the RP5 sound. Both use the same tubes.

If you liked the Rogue RP-5 but want balanced I have a Rogue RP-7 that I just haven't gotten around to listing yet

@rmdmoore I sent you a message. It is intriguing - but I hope that the bass is not rolled off due to my power amps's 26k input impedance (the Stereophile review alluded to that).

+1 for the Backert Labs Rhythm 1.3 with NOS RCA 12SN7 GTA. Replaced my ARC Reference 6 SE with it and couldn’t be happier.

@markmuse How would you describe the difference between the two preamps you mentioned? I like that the gain is just 9db and it does have a low output impedance.

Might take a look at the Bryston BP 17 cube. balanced impedance is 4.5kΩ. 

@jbuhl That is very high output impedance - too high for me to use

I also had a Rogue RP-7, which has balanced in and out, and it is a very nice preamp especially considering its price. But it's not in the same league as the Backert Rhythm.

@markmuse Thanks. I see the Backert recommendations here. Intriguing. However, apparently, my DAC sounds better in a balanced setup. Also, my amp's balanced inputs sound better than the unbalanced ones.

Any opinions of the sonic differences between these similarly priced tube preamps:

Backert Rhythm 1.3

VAC Renaissance Mk V

Sorry for the repeated questions: it is difficult as auditioning such hard to find pieces is not possible (without buying from manufacturer with a view to audition - which I feel is a bit cheeky).

An update on my search: TL/DR - I am a proud owner of a VAC Renaissance Mk V.

I ended up buying a Rogue RP7 to try out from a fellow Audiogon member. It sounded nice for its price. The issue I have is that I have a very high gain setup (my DAC output is 5.8V). The Rogue RP7 is a high gain preamp and my speakers are pretty sensitive (93dB at 4 ohms).

So, I thought I better try some low gain tube preamps.

ARC Ref 6 gain is only 12dB. However, a concern is that its high output impedance might not be a good match with my H30 amp. Also: the REF6 might be too forward for the Beryllium tweeters in my speakers.

I went to Xtreme Fidelity northern NJ. Tom Canavan was fantastic and I could not recommend him enough. He had the VAC Master with Briscati Monos on Tidal Agoria speakers. That would be the first time I’d be listening to a VAC tube preamp.  I had read a review in Stereophile on a older VAC preamp that was not flattering at all.

It was, surprisingly, not what I thought it would be. It sounded very linear and, frankly, the setup sounded quite similar to what I had at home. So, I took that off the list (while mentally noting that the sound at my home must be decent then).

I was about to purchase a Backert Rhythm 1.3 when I saw and ad for a used VAC Renaissance Mk V on Audiogon. Taking a flier, I bought it, expecting not to like it.

However, I was wrong. In my setup, it sounded fantastic. Big soundstage. Very natural sounding instruments. And very holographic (had good depth). Instruments like the saxophone had body (which my SS preamp did not).

I apologized to Tom. In retrospect (and this is a tall ask), if I had gotten a at-my-home audition, I’d have purchased a new Renaissance Mk V from him instantly as my preconceived notions were wrong.

I recommend VAC preamps highly now.