I've just come across this thread and see that the Myth preamp was mentioned by Dracule1 and others. I have this preamp and I'm extremely happy with it. In my system it provides great detail and transparency, which I got from a transformer passive pre that I had before, but the Myth also has a sense of weight and realism that the TVC lacked. I find the bass well extended and articulate, the mid very clear, and the treble possibly not as sparkling as some equipment but still characterful and balanced.
It has the big advantage of five inputs, because I don't want to have to get up, switch everything off, change cables, and switch it all back on again every time I change from vinyl to CD.
But the biggest advantage of the Myth over other LDR preamps is that it has a buffer that gives it an output impedance of less than 3 ohms, which is necessary to match the input impedance of my power amps.
I haven't heard a Music First or the Bent TAP-X, but some of those who have made comparisons reckon that the Myth is better than the former, and in some respects beats the latter. So with its facilities and useability in my system it's definitely worth the price.
Since the use of LDRs for attenuation is in the public domain I don't understand the hostility towards the Myth that's expressed in some quarters, and I notice that the term "Lightspeed" is used by a cable manufacturer and a mains conditioner, so that doesn't appear to be anybody's copyright.
