The last valve pre amp I'll ever need.

hi david12.i have pass30 and i have a wyetech opal.and it is great combination.dead silent not a hint of tube noise.dynamics to die for.midrange is un colored and grain free.and state of the art transparency.you will here things on your favorite lps cds that were never there before.but at 7800 dollars it is not cheap. i bought mine used.it was reviewed in the absolute sound 127.it will be my last preamp.

Many thanks guys, a lot to think about. Useful, if conflicting.
David

Aesthetix Callisto Sign. with NOS tubes.

With Pass Aleph amp a definite solution.

Considering that you are using vinyl, then I would definately recommend the Supratek. I have a Syrah with switch on the fly cartridge loading and enough gain for even the lowest MC cart. Very impressive and inexpensive (compared to its competition) to boot.

If you have an opportunity to listen to the Aesthetix Audio "Saturn" series of tube preamplifiers, I encourage you to do so. In the "Saturn" series, Aesthetix has used many of the design concepts from the "Jupiter" series Callisto linestage and Io phono stage. Either the Janus full function preamplifier, or the Calypso linestage plus Rhea phono stage, fall into "the last valve pre amp I'll ever need" category.

http://www.musicalsurroundings.com/aesthetix.html

I am about to audition some of the preamps stated here but I gotta say that when I added the Tom Evans Vibe SS preamp into my system, Whoa! It blew away the Pass X-1 I was using with my Pass X-250 amp. Blew away the Blue Circle G-3 MKII. It does not have the tube mids as the BC which BTW I love but it added width of soundstage, most natural and detailed sonics that my Pass X-250 has ever produced (I was even thinking about selling the Pass recently), separation of notes and vocals like nothing I ever heard before. Yeah you loose the softer tube sound but the Vibe is not SS sounding just natural, and most people feel the Pass X-1 is natural sounding, well not like this at all. The Vibe is almost like a passive preamp with some gain. I wish I could get my hands on a First Sound to compare but no dealer I have contacted will let me audition one yet. The Hovland is very very nice but does lack some of the lower bass extension and if you look up my thread as to why Hovland owners sold their units, it was do to hum. I have no first hand experience though. Next on my list is Joule Electra, Lamm, and CJ.

Happy Listening.

Based upon your description of your listening style and taste, I highly recommend the Hovland HP-100. I own one and it is spectacular. It can be had as a line stage or integrated with a MM or MC phono section. Spectacular detail without being in your face, broad wide soundstage, non-fatiging in every way. Tremendously accurate in tone colors of instruments. If you like opera, it is magic where voices are concerned. Beautiful to look at as well.

The Paramount/Statement by First Sound Audio....Very undereviewed, but highly competent offerings by Emmanuel Go. Purely single ended devices, with double independent massively overbuilt power supplies. The latest offerings can be had in silver/platinum finish, instead of the gold faced ones along with blue leds. Just two tubes to roll and two OA2 tubes from factory, less tube intensive than many other reference grade preamps, and the only ones to really get from the factory are the OA2. How many other preamps offer this flexibility in getting tubes? Many companies sell their own matched stock tubes are exorbitant prices, but with this preamp, simple plunge of $200 is all that takes to make them take you to places you might never have been, sonically. Eventhough tube preamps from other manufactures might offer you great refinement, at what cost? Some manufactures, like Emotive, offer excellent equipment, but they are optimized with ever rarer NOS tubes, whose cost of upkeeping, will drive you to the poor house. If I had the money and the space, I would vouch my life for these amps. Another competent one might be the top of the tier, Lamm preamps. Is there something else that can really, compete?
PS: I will be prophetic here, someone most definetly recommend a SUPRATEK.