What preamps outshine the Aesthetix Calypso?

Ckoffend,
Yes, I have done a fair amount of tube rolling with the Calypso, buying a variety of NOS tubes for that purpose from Vintage Tube Services.

Audiofreakgeek, yes I have experimented with and am using good power cords, isolation, power conditioning, etc.

Pdreher, I won't sell the Calypso until I am sure I have found a successor that I really prefer.

I may give BAT or Modwright a try, although have to admit some nervousness about 6H30-based preamps, as that is not my favorite tube.

Are there any fans of EAR preamps out there? One dealer who carries both VAC and EAR claims the EAR 868 linestage sounds pretty close to VAC preamps. Of course, he also knows I don't want to pony up the $15K for a new VAC Signature preamp.

Edorr, I have tried the PW DAC straight into my VAC Phi 200. I even bought a Lightspeed Attenuator to try, given the supposed shortcomings of a digital volume control. After a few weeks, I just did not like the sound, as the soundstage seemed to collapse and the bass was MIA. I put the Calypso back in the chain and much preferred it to the amp-direct and passive preamp setup. Makes me think the Modwright might not float my boat.

The BAT preamps sound increasingly appealing. Most reviewers/owners impressions mention how they throw a really wide soundstage and provide really deep bass. If they are slightly dark, that is OK with me, as a lot of CDs sound a bit "peeky" in my current setup.

The Lightspeed did not work for me...I was picking up a lot of intermittent noise, seemed to be RF noise, related to using single-ended components and interconnects in a Manhattan high rise apartment. I also found that the Perfect Wave DAC sounded a little too strident through the Lightspeed. This has to reflect the shortcomings of the PW DAC, which seems to need a tube preamp to sound its best.

In some ways, I am trying to recreate the really wide soundstage and low-end weight that I had with my original low end set-up, which consisted of a Northstar DAC, a Manley Shrimp preamp, and a B&K 4420 power amp. Although it could be fatiguing, I loved the REALLY wide soundstage and low end weight. Great for listening to rock. Sort of trippy sounding in a good way. The current setup sounds achingly beautiful at times with well-recorded music, but at other times is a little too dull. Maybe I am being nostalgic about a wide soundstage, but am forgetting that shortcomings of such a sound signature, which is listener fatigue after long listening sessions.