New PrimaLuna versus used Audio Research preamp?

You might want to consider an SP-10MKII. Or a Ref 2. Ref2 had tube regulation as well as a 5AR4 for rectification. And 6922, which had the magic missing from 6H30 preamps. IMHO. SP-10MKII is amazing. SP-11MKII is also great,but a hybrid and has a different presentation that is an acquired taste.

Nobody I know can answer how any of these compare to a PrimaLuna without listening in an instantaneous A/B comparison that is level-matched to within .5dB, and double-blind. It’s not possible. If anyone is in L.A. and has a REF 6 or similar they want to bring out, we can host. And who knows. I might be wrong. We did this for some Agon guys years ago with some LAOAC members, and the VSI75. What was shocking was how close good gear is to each other.

If you strip away the obvious prejudice of getting a massive discount from a high, retail price and look at circuit design, quality of parts, and sound I think you would be rather shocked.

You need to look in the box when you buy a preamp.  It's where manufacturers make margin, and bullshit abounds.  Go to a restaurant, and it's $9 for a burger and fries, and $3.50 for a Diet Coke.  Coke is water and syrup. 

Preamps are the Diet Coke of audio. Take a company that flags itself as the "Preamp Specialist"  Put aside the silly auto biasing tubes and new power supply designs, look at an internal picture of their $4500 preamp which, by the way, is a "Factory Direct" price.  

There are no magic boxes in preamps.  It's parts and engineering.  If they espouse the "minimalist design" B.S. then it should cost less, not more.  That's why someone may want to be a "preamp specialist". 

More like "margin specialist".  Just like headphones and earbuds.   

I wouldn't buy a preamp without using Google Images or that website hifi-inside.com  It used to be called HiFi-shock.com as I recall.  

@samzx12 Your preamp has the Holy Trinity of tube preamp design:  Point to point wiring. Dual Mono all the way to the power switch. Tube rectification.