Sub-$1000 preamp recommedations sought

tubes
-have seen bat 3ki or a 5 vki (non remote).... sound quality and parts quality hard to beat, also upgradeable...

if you can go a little more then the pse hl-1(really rare)

solid state
-audio research ls-12..the most neutral solid state unit i have ever heard...

The T-61 tubed pre from Audio Mirror is very nice and priced at $699. Comes with a remote too.

NAD 1130

Correction: the correct model is the Dared sl 2000a. For under $1000, nothing beats a tube pre. Over $1000, there are some nice solid state ones to consider.

For around $1000, bel canto pre1 is solid state and is really more upscale than Adcom or Rotel will ever be.

Dared slp2000 if you want cheap. Actually really quite good. Audio Note M-1, another choice.

I second the Adcom GFP-750..especially used. Excellent value for the money.

Cary slp-94

I recently bought a rotel RC-1070 and RB-1070. I am very pleased witht he purchase - >$1100 OTD. I use them to power my B&W804.

Audio Research LS3 ,anywhere from 650-950$ depending on condition ans seller's eager.I am happy with mine.
George

If you can find one, the Klyne SK-5A (like mine) is a lovely-sounding preamp, but its best feature is its excellent phono section. Perhaps not worth the search if your friend is not into analog.

Adcom GFP 750. Very simple circuit. Very popular piece.
Easy to re-sell if desired. Around $700.00 here on Audiogon, used.

Tube Audio Design-150 can be had for around $800 new and 5-600 used. I went through five pre's in '04 and finally settled on this one. It is a tube design and comes modified by Paul Gryzbek at Bizzy Bee audio. It also comes with a phono section. Its sound is amazing..

Eagleman

NAD has a good pre for $600.
Jolida for $1,000.

A McIntosh C712. I have had 6 preamps in my system and, for the money, the C712 is fantastic. Classe CP50 is even better for a little more money. I highly recommend these two models. Arthur

It may take some looking but a used Levinson ML-1 can
be had for about $1000. I owned one about eight years
ago. It was excellent.....transparent, solid bass,
three-dimensional. It's not at the same level as my
380S but it's quite good. I'd venture to say it's better
than the Rotel (and I own a Rotel 1075 for my HT setup).