Next best thing to a Counterpoint SA-5000 preamp

Maybe a Berning TF-10?

i would suggest a audio research ls-15, ls-16, or a ls-16 mkII and add a phono stage. the remote availability is hard to do without.

the ls-16 mkII is more $$ but uses the new super tube and hence cheaper on the retube.

hope that helps..

mike

The two companies in question had totally different philosophies and different sound as result: MFA is dark, basy, midrangy and brooding, while Counter. is open, extended, even bright sometimes, almost sterile-clean. Your choice. SA3000 or 3.1 are the closest. Cheers, M

Well, the obvious response would be an SA-3000, but I had the same decision to make a while back, and purchased a nice used MFA Magus with some upgrades. This turned out to be a fine all-tube preamp with an excellent phono stage. I actually prefer it to the Counterpoint because it is all tube, and has none of the SS video buffers that are used in the Counterpoint(which is actually a hybrid, technically speaking). Plus, the Magus is much less costly at only around $700-$800 used.

If you look around on the net, you'll find some comments about the Magus being on par with the Counterpoint, or even better. Arthur Salvatore calls it "one of the best preamps ever made for the money".

The downsides are that it has a solid state power supply, but it is in a separate box on an umbilical cord. The other downside is that it shares some of the circuitry between channels and is not true dual-mono.

But it has great gain of 20db in the linestage, and 46db in the phono. Still needs a transformer for the low output cartridges of less than 0.6mv in my opinion. Has very easy impedance loading for cartridges, via resistor plug-ins. Uses two 12AX7, one 12AT7, and one 6922 for the tubes, and they last a long time.

Great little preamp, especially for a phono user, and doesn't break the bank.