Preamp input needed

Probably a little late, but I highly recommend any of the Joule Electra LA series of preamps (tubed). I had the 100 and upgraded it to the new 150. They also have incredible phono amps either integrated or seperate. Prices are very reasonable on Audiogon. I have your same aleph 0 monos and it is a match made in heaven. Note - I prefer the 3 stage aleph 0 monos to the other 2 stage alephs by far. Same detail, warmth and incredible mids - but with the bass slam needed for difficult loads. Don't ever sell them - they are a classic!

I think that if you're looking at the ARC line up, you can do better than the LS25 and LS16 for a little less money. Do a search on the ARC LS5 Mk III. The LS 5 Mk III's only competition in the ARC line-up is the REF 1 and 2. If you're not looking for analytical, the LS5 has that tube magic sound in spades over the LS25 and LS16. Something elese to consider. Good Luck.

I owned the TACT RCS and liked it at first, but eventually got dissatisfied.

*Just my opinion*, but the Tact should be purchased primarily for the room correction function and secondarily for the preamp function, not the other way around. For that sort of cash you could easily find a preamp that bests it. Once again, this was my experience with the unit, YMMV.

I'm using the PL X2.5 and really enjoy it. Supposedly it is quite similar to the X1. To help keep it from getting too analytical, you might try the following:

o Obviously, mate the X.1 with an amp that is this side of warm and rich in sound.
o Connect the pre to a quality-oriented line conditioner.
o Install Audio Points under all components, racks, and speakers.
o In my case, I have all my component's dedicated lines ungrounded to lower the noise-floor and dirty AC. But upon reconnecting the ground only for the preamp, an even lower noise-floor and a bit of silkiness was added to the presentation.

-IMO