I bought a Levinson 380S based on similar - if somewhat more feature-oriented - criteria. It's not quite perfect, but it's fantastically engineered, and sounds close enough to totally neutral and transparent that combined with its user-friendliness and flexibility, I will happily stop here (well, I didn't *want* to invest even this much, but am glad I did) - something I couldn't say about previous attempts (or previous Levinsons). Maybe for those willing to forego some of the 380S's conveniences there's even more transparent units to be had for this money, I don't know, but at up to a grand below your used budget and easy to find, it's certainly worth adding to your list, and of an audition.
Which Solid-State Preamp under $7,000.00 New?
On the following list of solid-state active preamps under $7,000 new, or under $4,500.00 used, which is overall the most utterly transparent,least colored, balanced top-to-bottom, neutral, dynamic, open, and 3-dimensional? Which passes the signal with the VERY LEAST degradation to it?
1.ARC LS3
2.AYRE K-1x.
3.HERRON AUDIO HL-1
4.KLYNE MODEL 7LX3.5
5.KRELL KRC-HR
6.PASS LABS X 1
7.PLACETTE ACTIVE
8.SIM AUDIO P-5
Thanks for your responses!
1.ARC LS3
2.AYRE K-1x.
3.HERRON AUDIO HL-1
4.KLYNE MODEL 7LX3.5
5.KRELL KRC-HR
6.PASS LABS X 1
7.PLACETTE ACTIVE
8.SIM AUDIO P-5
Thanks for your responses!