Preamp suggestions

On the solid side, any thoughts on the Tap-X vs. the Wyred STP? Very different approaches in a passive vs. an active.

I've heard great things about the Mystere CA21. Can anyone comment how it stacks up against the Manley Shrimp? I have yet to hear either, but from what I have read, the Manley may wash over the detail somewhat. The Mystere is very minimalist, but gets great reviews.

Thank you for the suggestions. Keep them coming! I have been thinking of the Parasound, but had not yet considered the others.

I also have a sub to manage, so a pre with dual unbalanced outs would be ideal.

There are certainly a lot of great preamps in the $2-$5K range as I've discovered. I've identified about 10 that I am interested, both solids and tubes. Of the systems that I've heard that I like best within my price range, I prefer the combo of SS amp and tube pres (so far). To my ear a solid amp has more speed and energy than a similarly priced tube setup. I have a large room and I do like to listen at high levels from time to time.

The biggest issue is trying to find a dealer who sells boutique gear and audition it. Much of it has very limited regional availability. Getting it into my system to hear it is challenging. I appreciate all the suggestions of swapping out my amp and pre for tubes, but I'm not in a position, nor am I inclined to change two components at once. My main goals are to gain increased transparency and open up the soundstage with better imaging. I value detail pretty highly.

Right now I'm quite curious about the Mystere CA21, the Manley Jumbo Shrimp on the tube side and the Jeff Rowland Design Capri and the Wyred STP-SE on the solid side.

Well I ended up with an EAR 868 which I absolutely love so far. The imaging is stellar, but what's most amazing about it is that it makes the music sound 'live' and it's highly emotional and involving.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I picked up an EAR 868 here and I've been extremely happy with it. I my system, I don't think I could really do much better. The image is as tall as the room and far wider than the speakers. As for musicality and detail - just WOW. It makes even lousy recording sounds decent. And great recordings just blow me away.