Gs5556: I would agree very much with the importance of power supply design in tube preamps. But unfortunately high cost does not always imply a beefy power supply. Take the covers off the ARC LS25 and the BAT31SE, very comparatively priced products, and you will see the enormous attention to the BAT's power supply compared to the ARC. The same is true for the BAT 51SE compared to the Ref2.
Tube pre-amps: what defines "better"
Long story short: trusted audiophile friends recommend I add a tube pre-amp to my audio system. As with all gear, pricing is a very large range, so the usual irritating question is on my mind! -- what do I look for in a tube pre-amp that would send me to, say, a $1500 product over a $350 product? Beyond the issues of fit and finish, country of origin (as usual, the Chinese products are relatively lower-priced)...what in your mind makes for a stand-out tube preamp? Thanks for any advice.
J.
J.