thanks for the response jond, I do agree the price seems a little high. One of the ads is combined with a sunfire amp and he is willing to sell just the pre for less. I think if I didn't need the balanced output I would look into something like Conrad Johnson. I also asked about a musica bella preamp but got no feedback regarding that pre.
sunfire classic vacuum tube preamp
I have been looking for a tube preamp for some time now. I would like a pre that has balanced outputs and I am looking for a warmer sound. I noticed that there are a couple sunfire classic preamps for sale on audiogon and it looks like this could be a good choice for me. Can anyone with experience in this preamp let me know what the sound is like and if this is a good preamp, thanks