Tubed Pre match with a Spectron Musician IIISE?

I have two preamps I hasve used with my Musician III Mark 2. My Bent TAP sounds great with it, but the perfect match in my system is my main preamp, the dual mono Modwright LS 36.5 2 box. Although beyond our budget, the one box LS 36.5 can be found for only $500-$750 or so more than your budget.

All I can say is that altough the Bent TAP, a tremendous passive TVC-based pre, sounds great with the Mark 2, the LS 36.5 does nothing but add realism and tonality to take the combo from great to nearly perfect. If you've read the reviews and feedback the LS 36.5 is dead quiet, let alone the fact that it's tubes. It loses nothing here to the basically nonexistent Bent TAP "noise". The synergy with the slightly warmside-of-neutral Spectron is beyond waht I would have expected. I am amazed each time I turn on the combo...really. Why I want to go monoblock with the Spectron is purely dedcadence, I guess. I'm assuming I'll not fix what clearly ain't broken!! :)

All this being said, I can't comment on the other pres in this list cuz i haven't heard them in this setup...just the FYI that the 36.5 is basically as quiet as a passive, with all the magic of Dan's incredible tube section.

Ted

Dob,
Who makes the "Killer"? Why so secretive: it's a preamp. Will it be intro'd at CES or T.H.E Show?

Then what is the harm in saying so? People like to have a roadmap of product direction; Spectron loyalists might even put off a preamp decision if they knew something was coming.

Enjoy The Music's pre-CES show report is saying it is $14,800:
"Joule Electra is introducing a new preamplifier, the Marianne Electra Memorial Preamplifier LA-300ME ($14,800). The LA-300ME incorporates all the features that have made the LA series of preamplifiers and is named in memoriam to the co-founder of Joule Electra, Marianne Electra Barber who passed away after a long illness in May a year ago. This new unit is a highly refined version of the LA-150, which incorporates exotic capacitors through out and signal wiring designed specifically for Joule Electra by David Elrod of Elrod Power Systems. The signal wiring combines a combination of six nines silver and copper in a unique transmission line configuration. The capacitors are a mix of V-Caps and Mundorf silver, gold and oil that represents the very best capacitors available to the high-end audio community. According to Joule Electra, "The bass line of the preamp has always been one of it's major assets, but now the bass is crisper and cleaner with improved dynamics and extension. The midrange, one of the outstanding features of the LA-150 is now wonderfully fleshed out with a highly organic nature that must be experienced to fully appreciate. The improvement in treble extension and clarity is immediately noticeable with silky highs possessing the gloss and crispness of the original performance."

I'll check it out Fri or Sat and report back whatever I can.
Ted

FYI. I sent Joule an email (standard address from their website) asking about availability and pricing, etc. Simon responded. :) He works for/with Joule. He said it's being debuted at CES, as he mentioned already here. Just an FYI.
Ted