The Luxman CL38U C is in this price range. The late Art Dudley rated favorably w/his Shindo. It was also rated Class A on the Tube Preamp listing. A big bonus is the phono section. Worth auditioning, if you can.
Itching to upgrade preamp...
I'm thinking the preamp might be the weak link at this point... Today I'm using a Pass X0.2 preamp.
The rest of the setup:
Pass XA60.5
Audio Physic Avanti III
PS Audio DirectStream Sr (with bridge2)
PS Audio PerfectWave transport
All interconnects are Cardas Clear XLR. Speaker cables are Cardas Clear Beyond. Power cords are Cardas Clear to everything except amps, which is Clear Beyond. All power is through a PS Audio PP12.
I'm thinking i may want to try a tube preamp with this... although I'm open to solid state as well
The rest of the setup:
Pass XA60.5
Audio Physic Avanti III
PS Audio DirectStream Sr (with bridge2)
PS Audio PerfectWave transport
All interconnects are Cardas Clear XLR. Speaker cables are Cardas Clear Beyond. Power cords are Cardas Clear to everything except amps, which is Clear Beyond. All power is through a PS Audio PP12.
I'm thinking i may want to try a tube preamp with this... although I'm open to solid state as well