Used audiophile preamp

My friend owned an Audible Illusions preamp and recently purchased the  Primaluna Prologue preamp.  The Prima is much more musical, was more open sounding (bigger soundstage) and was just rally nice to listen to.  For the $2300 list price, it was a nice addition to his system.  Way more musical.  I do like the Don Sachs recommendation also.  I just built a 6SN7 preamp design although I won't sell it for $1799 starting price like the basic one from Don.  It compares nicely to the DHT preamp we also build.  You cannot go wrong with either if you like a tube sound versus SS sound.  I prefer tubes as you can see as I find SS just a little dry for my old ears.

Happy Listening.

For a coherent musical and neutral piece I think the Rowland is very hard to beat. But many people have systems that other pre’s may have better synergy with. Depends on what kind of sound you are going for.

 Thanks all for your input. I have a dedicated listening room which I just built during a basement build out.  I have bass traps and I’m experimenting with different traps etc to optimize room acoustics. The Rowland is exceptional. I purchased the Rowland Consumate and phono stage 30 plus years ago. I was curious to know if newer preamps had significantly improved in musicality and sound stage, etc. No gotta haves but love to hear recommendations.

I have an Atma-Sphere MP-3 which is a fantastic sounding pre

Perhaps rather than replacing the amps consider an upgrade with new high end capacitors in the audio path.  Many have had success with this approach.  Mundorf Supreme Silver, Gold, Oil (1200 volt versions), Miflex, Dualand, several others.  Find a reputable shop who has worked with your equipment.   Personally this has worked wonders for my vintage tube equipment and some SS as well.