I have heard many nice pre amps and i would like to own them all if i had the money.
ML 32 (not in my set)
ARC (in my set)
Nagra ( especially on higher volumes ,on low volume a bit lean, currently)
The one that jumped out even on low volume with tonal colours and resolution , although not in my one set and maybe not completely neutral after a while
Zanden model 3000
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Wyetech Opal. Owners almost never sell them; that should tell you something. Legacy product, will pass on to my kids.
Neal |
I find it amazing that no one mentioned Ayre's M series, or even the K series |
Stringreen, Rufipennis mentioned the KX-R above. And the reason I did not respond with the KX-R (even though I own it) is that I am not sure if you can ever christen any component as the "best" ever :-) |
Shindo - The best model you can afford. |
Joule Electra LA 300ME
I'll wager you'll never see one up for sale on Agon! |
I cast my vote for the Veloce Audio LS1 battery powered tube preamp that made my Vac Renaissance sound broken by comparison. The Veloce phono stage that pigtails off the preamp is absolutely the best I have ever heard as well. |
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Joule Electra LA300ME. Admittedly I do own one, but it is the best I have owned AND heard AND know of! Typically I can't hold onto components....I get the gotta upgrade bug! That being said Davvy......I did put it up for sale on audiogon once, but soon changed my mind and cancelled the add. |
Vac, Lamm, BAT, Goldmund, FM Acoustics |
Octave Jubilee! Burmestter 077. |
Threshold Stasis R-5; Precision Fidelity C-7A Revised. |
The Aesthetix Io probably belongs somewhere in this discussion. |
Ayre KXR . It may not be the ( best pre amp ever ) but its by far the best my ears have experienced . In hi end audio there really is no best , just what one likes best and thats all that really counts . |
Joule-Electra LA-450ME and LA-300ME for the second place.
Also, REX by BAT, latest CAT and finally LAMM LL1 |
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Joule LA300 ME if you need gain and buffering for impedance matching between sources, ICs, and amp. Have not heard the CAT Legend however..... If your source,cabling,and amp are gain and impedance matched (like mine)even these will be hard pressed to beat the Lightspeed Attenuator for controlling volume. |
Always been a big lover of the BAT preamps. The REX is the best of that bunch. It's my choice, and favorite preamp out there. |
"Joule LA300 ME if you need gain and buffering for impedance matching between sources "
Besides fantastic "magical" sound LA-300ME can have and unity gain and variable up to 11 dB and you don;t have to buffer your signal if you don;t need it: all J-E preamps have two outputs, one direct from gain stage (what today BAT does) and, and buffer in case you need it.
and I will add that tube life span is 5- 10 years and with high impedance amplifier its double.
and on the top of it, J-E preamps usually 24/7 in standby mode - so there is no need to wait for warm up, just flip switch from standby to operate..
and least important ...that Garry pearson called "the mst romantic preamplifier..." preamp to die for !!!!!!!!!!!! |
The Veloce LS-1 is the best i have heard! WOW! |
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The best under $2,000 would be the Doge 8. It has an excellent line stage and a very good phono section.
At under $5,000 the Audio Horizon 2.2 is great.
At $5,000, the Coincident Technologies Linestage is as good as $20,000 linestages. The only drawback is it only has 2 inputs, ao one might have to re-think their front end. They also sell a great phono stage, but it costs about $5,500.
Under $20,000 I would opt for the Einstein The Tube Mark II. It is a great preamp and very dynamic and grit and grain-free. I have this unit and couldn't be happier. It replaced a VTL 7.5 and beats it in about every category.
The only pre-amp I have heard that I like as much is the Coincident Linestage. But the Einstein has 5 inputs instead of the 2 in the Coincident Technologies model. |
I switched from a Joule LA300ME to the Atmasphere MP1Mk3.1 and like it very much. Both preamps are wonderful. |
Perhaps the CTC BLOWTORCH belongs in this discussion. |
