Having owned ARC gear for almost 30 years now I have to agree with randy-11. Older ARC gear was more lush and tubey sounding. Closer to the Conrad Johnson type sound. Modern ARC is far more detailed and holographic with less tube warmth. Some pieces such as the LS27 can even sound a bit thin at times. The Ref preamps have a bit more warmth while retaining that detailed holographic sound.
What are the more subtle sounding tube preamps?
I mean "subtle" as in relatively less tube saturation or color than your average tube-pre. Common sense tells me less tubes as in a single dual-triode, but in reality that may not be the case. I currently have my eye on a CJ Classic. Not sure if that will fit the bill. Any suggestions welcome.