Top ten tube preamps

If these were or were not previously mentioned I think they bear repeating... and my thoughts are based solely on my own conceptions from actually hearing them and not from just looking at their price points. It's a short list.

BAT VK5i... Just classic.
Thor TA 1000 .. A remarkable music maker.
Thor TA 1000 MK II... tough to improve upon near perfection but Marks pulled it off here.

I've heard several others in showrooms... and some mighty pricey ones too. Without question what so ever many were edged by the 5i.... and all were nailed by the thors.

Just my two cents... er, three cents.

So far IME I’ve found a great preamp will mate well with many amps. Tube or Ss. MOS FET or Bipolar output devices. Push pull tubes in ultralinear, and Hybrids.

If where the volume knob rests when in use is a consideration for you, some further investigations might be necessary though.

In many matches, my preamp volume knob never gets past noon o’clock. Usually residing somewhere between 9-11. it has a lot of gain, in the area of 20-23 db.

For myself though it’s no big deal… the sound and infulence it has on the music however, is indeed.

Good luck.

Onemug

Great!

As much as I see the approach CJ is taking lately, I prefer the older version's take on the sound better, and why I enjoy the Thor so much. It has both the speed and harmonic quality found in tube gear with no hint of SS what so ever. I've not heard the aRT preamps though. Did hear the CT5 with the 170 wpc CJ tube amps.

I feel if a thing has tubes in it, it should sound like it has tubes in it and not try to be SS sounding. There should be some definite departure or distinctive and easily noteable differences between those camps.... or why bother with glass in the first place?