PART 2. Good Suggestions for Tube Pre/Amp for $6000

Carver RAM285.  See Axpona reviews.

Or just buy a 25,@$1995, 30 day in-home trial, then, if you want, you can use the guaranteed trade up value later to upgrade to a 285 or the 350.  (Though a pair of 350s is $9500 currently)

Be one of the first 50 to order a RAM285 and get $1000 off. They state shipping starting in May, though not a specific day in May, so up to 32 days from now.

Yeah, I’ve already requested a 285.  
and yes, I am a Carver guy.  All my amps and my preamp are all Carver. Vintage (rebuilds by Hi-tech and Nelion) and new. (Except the separate HT system, that’s onkyo 11.1)

Can you say more about what you mean by "a warmer more lively sound"?

Thanks for asking.

More depth, realism, elongated, soundstage sound (right or wrong) over a digital crisp sound?  Warm over bright?

Possibly of interest:

Preamps: https://aricaudio.com/tube_gear.php

Amp: https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/147639-anybody-use-first-watt-amps-with-klipschorns-or-lascalas/

This Leben would be a great match with your K-Horns. It's in your price range new. No phono preamp, but you can buy a matching MM preamp from Leben

https://lebenhifi.com/products/cs300xs.html

@ndancer what about room acoustics? You got that covered? Made me think of acoustic treatments when you mentioned soundstage. 

I sold my McIntosh SS, MC2250 amp and C28 preamp (had McIntosh certify them prior to sale), and bought a McIntosh Vintage Tube Tuner/Preamp, mx110z.

Enjoyed it for a while, then sent to Audio Classics for refurb (not upgrade, just back to original performance). In addition to some resistors and capacitors they replaced all the rca jacks with new gold plated ones, terrific idea (old McIntosh jacks corrode)

It is the best piece I own, maybe ever owned, wonderful sound, feature full, and for MONO, the mode switch gives you two options: Dual Mono out of both L and R, and often better, Mono out of only 1 speaker, you pick, all only L or all only R. That is of course how it was experienced before stereo, and It does 3 important things:

1. you stop the habit of seeking imaging if you stay in your normal listening chair

2. you can listen anywhere in the space or nearby space

3. IF any slight tonal variations/frequency responses exist between your L/R speakers (or the slightly different combo of reflections from their less that totally symmetrical locations), when using MONO L&R: a less than solid dual mono will result, i.e. certain vocal frequencies of a singer’s voice, rock solid l/r except ____? frequency gets to your ear slightly stronger from one side, grabs your brain as stereo, some imaging, rather than a single source.

btw, LP’s, I learned here, and it is true, get thee a true Mono cartridge, they react to horizontal movement only, a stereo one, will find and add noise from some vertical motion even from a mono lp. A small to very large difference, depending on the LP of course.

this convinced me:

https://positive-feedback.com/Issue77/vintage_mcintosh_experience.htm

berners

http://www.berners.ch/McIntosh/en/MX110.htm

lowest currently for sale hifishark, 3,300 CAD = $2,450 USD (make offer) looks in darn good condition. you might need to register a free kijiji account to view it.

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-systeme-de-son/laval-rive-nord/preamplificateur-mcintosh-mx110-serie-z/1646667096?uli=true