Recommendation for tube preamp

I love the BAT products. Currently I have a Dennis Had Inspire which is as good as I’ve had. 

I’m not sure I understand what a "passive equalization circuit" consists of.

@jlbkmb1958 In a phono section the equalization can be in a feedback loop or can be independent of feedback, the latter of which is a resistor/capacitor network which imposes the proper EQ curve as the signal passes through it; this is simply known as ’passive’ as opposed to ’active’ when the EQ is in a feedback loop.

moto man.    Did you find extra midrange coloration with the Ref 6?   I preferred my MSB direct on trying both Ref6 and ref 6 se 

moto man. Did you find extra midrange coloration with the Ref 6? I preferred my MSB direct on trying both Ref6 and ref 6 se

Geez, Ref 6 is pretty uncolored and clean for a tube pre. 6H30 are generally the cleanest sounding tubes, and Ref 6 is an excellent implementation of them.

If you talk about solid state preamps, or direct-drive with DACs - they usually sound fairly sterile and dry to me. Not my kind of sound. Now if you insert a good SS pre / DAC volume control in front of a tube preamp, you will hear 99% the same sound as the tube pre alone. So yes they are generally very transparent and uncolored - but I don’t like the sound of them alone in most cases. You could take this as damning rebuke of tube preamps, but our systems & hearing mechanics are very complex, and I will choose the more enjoyable & engaging sound (for me) every time. Hearing & preferences clearly differ from audiophile to audiophile. 

The ARC, LS28 is a thing of beauty.  If you can swing it, you won’t be disappointed.

All the best.