2. amps-preamps
  3. 1223312093

Which tube preamp meets all these needs?

There are so many tube preamps. Are there any that fit the following criteria?
1) Actually has a "tubey" sound (as opposed to really neutral sound like Audio Research).
2) Is fully balanced (all the rest of my components are and I'd like to continue to take advantage of this).
3) Has a HT bypass of some sort.
4) Has a remote that controls volume and switching sources (I was looking at BAT vk3ix, but that remote for some reason doesn't control source switching).
5) Can be had used for 2k or under.
Rest of system is Theta front end and amp, Snell speakers, Rel sub. Please help point me in the right direction. Thanks. -Dave
dbw1

Showing 1 response by martykl

martykl
3,578 posts
 
The old Sonic Frontiers Pre-amps might work, although you might not find them "tubey" enough for your taste. Upscale Audio in Upland, Ca has a top of range Line 3 (probably the one I traded in there last year) listed for $2500 on their web site. It is a terrific sounding 2 chassis pre with all of the features you seek. I traded it because a) it needed some minor repair/maintenance and b) my new listening room made locating the 2nd chassis a pain in the ass. I'm sure that Upscale has seen to the repair and maintenance issues.

Good Luck

Marty
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