Tacs - Thanks for your input. I'm not so sure about passive preamps. Having spent a lot of money on the ML+Thiel and Transparent Reference cable, I don't think I want the passive preamp to be the weak link in the system. How about a used BAT VK-5i ($1800)? How does a $4000 used ML380S compare to other preamps (tube or SS) in that price range? Are tubes really better then solid state?
