Top ten tube preamps

CAT SL1, Joule LA-150MKII, and Placette Active. I also enjoyed the Lamm LL2 while I had it.

I haven't found anyone yet, but I also haven't found someone that has heard them either.

Does Shindo have any Northeast retailer?

I agree that the Lamm LL2 was a very, very pleasing piece to listen to. I suspect very underrated, or at least too ignored.

This is obviously going to turn into a list of 100s and I'm not sure what is to be gained from that information. It might be more interesting to list your biggest dissapointment, that is a pre you bought thinking it was going to be great, great reviews and recommendations and it ended being a big dissapointment or did not live up to expecation or simply did not work well in your system. I guess that would be another thread.

Saying the ARC Ref3 is the worst tube preamp you ever heard is a remarkable statement. I would consider myself fortunate if it were the worst I ever heard.

That Lamm LL2 Deluxe was a real sleeper, and I never knew why, maybe too "cheap" for folks to believe it could be as good as it is - I wish I had not sold that one. "Low prices" might be a "problem" for linestages like the Lightspeed Attenuator from Australia which will give any of the tube linestages mentioned in this thread a run for their money in the right system, and at $450, I mean that literally.

I felt that way when I got my NAD 3020 - if only there were a last word in gear. I guess when it sounds just like live music, but I don't see that happening any time soon.

Of course I am a tube pre fan, having owned ARC, CAT, Lamm, and currently Atma-sphere and Joule preamps, and all of you are fans too, but I would suggest that just on a lark, and for only $450 you try a Lightspeed Attenuator if you have a tube amp (100kohm input impedance). It is limited to one rca input and output, but compare it with your megabuck preamps and see what you think. I have had some dissapointmet with variour passives (resistor, TVCs and AVCs) but this humble little preamp is the best I have heard in my system. Even if you stick with your tube preamps, I'm not getting rid of mine, it makes for an interesting backup, at the very least, and perhaps you might find that you like it better than anything you throw up against it. Some thought to system matching is needed (as using SETs would be) but if you can get used to the idea of using a $450 preamp in your $50,000 setups, you might be surprised. My recommedation now for SOTA sound at a bargain prices is a Music Reference RM10 amp matched with the Lightspeed. With the money of the gear being discussed here, it is worth a try IMHO.

Hope to get a chance to hear that VRE-1 at RMAF - the reviews and owner comments have been bery positiive.

I don't think anyone is going to pay "retail".