Preamps better than Parasound JC-2 ?

I have a Pass Labs XP20 that I picked up for $4200.00 The best I've ever owned! Joe

Can it be true that this thread has gone on for 4 years?  The date of the OP is 7/11/2014.  And during this time the picky milpai has rejected all suggestions for one reason or another.

db

Why not a  SS passive with OpAmp on board? I love my Hattor but it does not have an OpAmp, which I  need for impedance matching to my amp XLR provides ~ 6dB more gain

@milpai  Consider an Atmasphere MP-3 (new or used) has everything you are looking for, I bet you would be amazed!

@jnovak ,Thank You for the feedback. Recently another forum member has paired the XP-20 with a Proac and seems very content.
@dbphd ,Yes, it has been 4 years and in between I stopped my search and upgraded my loudspeaker. It took 2 years to finalize a GREAT pair. Picky - you bet I am. I visited dozens of showrooms and a few audio shows to finalize a pair of speakers. What made you think I rejected all the suggestions? I have not yet picked any preamp. I am super picky because once I invest I have to be satisfied to live with it for at least 8-9 years. My last speakers I had for 12 years, current preamp for almost 10 years. You buy on impulse? I suggest that you ignore this thread and move on.

@tweak1 ,I want to experiment with an active preamp. Been using a passive for the past 9 years. They are SUPER transparent and I am pretty happy. I don't hink I will sell my passive if I get the active. Just want to try out something different. You know the itch ;-)
@rsf507 ,While I am a bit considering tubes, that preamp has tons of tubes in it. The Backer Lab Rhumba is something I can consider, since it has 2 tubes and their access is also easy.

I just scored a used AA active dac/pre, but it hasn't arrived yet. The reviews are phenomenal, especially when adding the outboard power supply. Unfortunately this one did not, but, can be purchased. 

While I am a bit considering tubes, that preamp has tons of tubes in it. The Backer Lab Rhumba is something I can consider, since it has 2 tubes and their access is also easy.

@milpai Just a correction of fact, if you get the MP-3 as a line stage only, (like the Rhumba, which isn't balanced), then it has only 4 tubes total. The remaining tubes you are thinking about are for the optional phono section.

Ralph,
Thank You for the correction. Obviously I am not a tube guys and hence probably did not get that fact right, when I looked at the Specifications page. http://www.atma-sphere.com/Products/#MP-3
So I am assuming that it uses 2 x 6SN7GT and 2 x 12AU7 tubes? Yes, I don't have a TT, so no phono.
This would be interesting.

So I am assuming that it uses 2 x 6SN7GT and 2 x 12AU7 tubes?

Yes. It also has a fully balanced circuit internally.

tweak1, I've been running an AA for about 9 months now and love it. I use it as a DAC (not a preamp) with the optional power supply. Liked it so much I also bought their phono amp. It's all Very natural & open. 

Folks,After a couple of years of search, I have landed with the Rhumba 1.3. All I can say is - I love what this preamp is doing in my system. I am glad that I did not loose the "transparency" of my system. At the same time it added some dynamics that I love. While I never missed the "remote volume control" in the past 9 years, it is really nice to have that remote handy.

It's been seven years now since your last post. Did you ever buy a preamp and what did you buy and how do you like it? I'm late to the party but I have to put in my 2 cents and I have to agree with everything that bigdesign3 said about the Freya+. I also have a Freya+ and don't dismiss it just because of it's price. Since you really like your passive preamp, you definitely should give the Freya+ a try.  But the JJ tubes that come with it are not the greatest and I wouldn't buy the Freya+ with those tubes. Since you are a little warry about using tubes, I would order it with the LISST solid state tubes which plug into the tube sockets and uses solid state MOSFETS. They sound amazingly close to tubes; it will cost you $1200 to buy a new Freya+ with four of the LISST solid state tubes. I would then buy four modern high quality 6SN7 tubes to get the best sound out of your Freya+. I have tried many of the new 6SN7 tubes and my favorites are the Shuguang WE6SN7 Plus tubes; I was able to buy a set of four for $330 on AliExpress before all of these crazy Trump tariffs happened so now it is difficult to buy them at a reasonable price because of the tariffs. Your best bet now is probably to buy a set of four of the Psvane Horizon series CV-181-AT / 6SN7 tubes which you can buy on Amazon for $240 for a set of four as they are shipped from the US and you don't have to pay a tariff. The Freya+ gives you four different ways to listen. You can use passive mode, buffer mode which uses JFETS, tube mode with LISST which uses MOSFETS, and tube mode with tubes.  I've been trying to find a nice solid state preamp that sounds as good as my Freya+ that has the same features as my Freya+ with two balanced inputs, three single ended inputs, one balanced output, and two single ended outputs. I haven't been able to find one; the Parasound P6 comes close but it only has one balanced input.

@wag12wag12 

Did you not read the last post, before you posted?