Which would you choose for good sounding tube preamp for an audiophile new to tubes.

I've had a few preamps roll through in the past two years. Out of the parade, I kept the Aric Unlimited II for the downstairs/main system. Just today I swapped out Tung Sols for a pair of Sylvania 12AU7a. After a few more days I might swap amps again. I'm using the McCormack 0.5 Deluxe, with the Precision Fidelity M8 on deck.

If you have any questions about the Aric, feel free to message me.

Is a tubed preamp with an output imp.of 800ohms,a good match with a SS power amp input imp of 22k ohms.

@tmaker 
I suspect these systems with weak preamp output drives coupling into low input impedance amplifiers are the same systems where cables appear to make a massive difference as to how it sounds.

That 10:1 ratio get one into the area where cables don’t matter, and you have synergy from the electrical perspective, rather than a magical and unexplainable synergy.

I might be wrong, so YMMV.

Couldn’t edit because time but ment to say 800 ohms not 8000 ohms. Hi

Is a tubed preamp with an output imp.of 800ohms,a good match with a SS power amp input imp of 22k ohms.

Look into Aric Audio for all tube preamps. They have a variable gain control knob on them making it very easy to pair with an amplifier. 

Buy an old Counterpoint preamp - recommend the cheapest one you can find.  Send it to me for upgrades and you will never look back.

The old stock units sound really good especially in the mid-range.  They can use a little bit of help in the high-end and low bass but not much.  They compare to everything recommended here and then some.

Happy Listening.

I love tube preamps.  I have in play now both tube and solid state.   Audio GD, Don Sachs and Supratek all make fine sounding tube preamps.  The Black Ice hybrid preamp is really good - especially if u replace the stock TungSol tube with a Linlai 6SN7: i use this preamp in my highly resolving reference system.  The SPL Elector is solid state but has no solid state shortcomings.  If I told u that u were listening to a contemporary tube preamp, u would not flinch.

The Supratek ones offers a lifetime warranty.

I recommend Concert Fidelity CF-080LSX

http://www.concertfidelity.jp/reference_series.html#cf080

I do consider Quicksilver one of the higher value companies. I might consider the company to be under appreciated, not so sure about under the radar. :-)

Quicksilver, one of the best , under the radar companies out there .   

I have an Elekit TU-8500 Preamp on USAudiomart that I would be happy to sell for $400.  

For well under $1500 the Elekit preamps are supposed to be very good.I have read comments about them being better than the Freya.

If you are looking for an amp for the Freya+. They I would not get anything warm like a PASS. I went with the Benchmark AHB2 + Freya+. It was a really good match and what you will hear is the Freya+. The AHB2 adds nothing.

A cheaper variant of the AHB2 cold be the custom Purifi builds that you can get for under $1500.

Synergy! A match. 

Schitt Freya preamp into a Pass Labs X-2A5 amp sounds interesting but it is a 5,000 dollar amp. I like the synergy that is mentioned. The most important point is this! Thomas says nothing is more important, I agree and most all of you do as well. 

@arichison  There is an Aric Audio 6sn7 tube pre being offered here on AG. I believe asking price is ~$1700. Aric offers great service on his products. I intend on having Aric upgrade my Special.

You cannot go wrong with the Quicksilver's, I have both the one with remote and the one without remote, both last versions. They both sound very good, I think the non remote has better imaging, but for a small margin. I mostly use the one with remote simply for the convenience.

I agree with mesch, QS is quality gear, but Aric Audio should be your next consideration! Superb sounding preamps/line stages and unbeatable customer service is why the only piece of gear to remain on my rack after all other components have ben swapped in/out at least two times is, The Motherlode.

@arichison One other contender I would look at is a Rogue 99 Super Magnum on the used market. Make sure it is a Super Magnum, not just the stock, and not just the Magnum. The 99 on its own uses four 6SN7 tubes which are very fun to roll, as well as different gain settings in addition to the volume to best match with the rest of your system. The Super Magnum builds on this by adding Mundorf Supremes over the stock caps, Cardas solid copper connectors and Cardas wiring internally. IMO the best money you can spend on a preamp for $1500 or less.  

As I previously stated, of those you mentioned I would choose the Quicksilver. 

As an alternative you might contact Aric Audio. See his web site. He makes a great preamp at several price points. Much info by owners on this forum, I being one.

The Bottlehead Moreplay kit is $439.  Sound is fantastic with the stock tubes but if you add good NOS 6V6 tubes and upgrade the coupling capacitors it gets even better.  I mostly can't tell it apart from my PS Audio BHK preamp.  I have also used the Freya, Cary SLP-03, Cary SLP-70, and the SP14 which is the basis for the Don Sachs preamp.  I think the Moreplay is better than all of those.  Biggest negative is a relatively high output impedance.  Your B&K's impedance is 33K so about a 10x ratio which is fine but not ideal.

I would look for an Audio Research LS17 SE.  $1500 will likely never get one but maybe under $2000.  That would be a nice intro to ARC that could keep you going for many years.  

Supratek

@dentdog  I am heading there in a few weeks.

Quicksilver audio is sounding pretty good. Not bad. 

My budget is 1,500 dollars max. I also watch Thomas. I like his Youtube channel. 

I really wanted a Sonic Frontiers growing up in audio. I just could never affford one. When I saw the one listed on Hi Fi Heaven for a grand I got excited I guess.

I appreciate the feedback for sure. 

Don Sachs. I recently had it serviced, in the intervening weeks I substituted a Carver and Audio Research. No comparison. Also, great service and pride of workmanship. 

I 2nd crustycoot's recommendation of the AVA FET Valve CF all tube preamp.  I've had nothing but tube preamps in my system for the last 30 years including a Conrad Johnson PV11, Audible Illusions Modulus 3 and later the 3A, Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Ultimate, McIntosh C2600 (still own), and AVA FET Valve CF.  The AVA preamp is excellent, just replace the stock tubes with NOS Mullard CV4003 and CV4024 tubes.  Excellent tonality, timbre, soundstaging and imaging.  Also very reliable, I've had no issues in the 5 years that I've owned it.  It's a very quiet tube preamp.  No noise when the music isn't playing out of very sensitive Klipsch Cornwall IVs.

I agree the VTL people are horrible but:

PRIMAlUNA EVO 400

VTA SP14. http://www.tubes4hifi.com/SP14.htm

Very musical without being tubey and, in kit form, a bargain even with all the available upgrades!

I would also look into Black Ice Audio.

In same scenario, I went with a Prima Luna Evo 400 integrated and have been 110% happy with that choice.

But I think you are going to be thrilled with whatever you buy.  There are few wrong choices.

I use an original series Freya (no "+" but hey...I don’t care, and with the original you can snap back and forth between the tubes and passive without shutting the tubes off, which I like. Adjust the level of course.) into a Pass XA-25. Sublime, astonishingly great sound. Both deserve their Class A ratings by Stereophile, and is there anything as well designed with as many useful features as as a Freya for under a grand? No. I think NOS tubes like my preferred GEs in a Freya make it really shine...so do that.

Can't go wrong with the Schiit Freya +

Of the trio mentioned I would probably go for the Quicksilver I say that knowing none of the technical specs like impedance. Sonic Frontiers sounds pretty SS and VTL is pretty good sounding gear but like @oddiofyl I have heard horror stories about their customer service. I will also add @atmasphere makes a very nice affordable preamp the UV-1.

I have heard some really great reviews on a Giant Killer Preamp by DOGE Audio that I’m interested in. I know have a MAGUS MFA A2 tube preamp that’s amazing!

No mention of the Van Alstine FET Valve CF?  The OP is a tube novice and the AVA is a very good affordable choice. 

@ditusa My mistake! Apologies. Hope folks enjoy the photo anyway.

I would purchase the used Quickie. If it doesn’t meet your goals you can resale it for little loss. 

@hilde45 --

@ditusa said, I think, that the Quicksilver is not point to point wired.

I said not the LINESTAGE preamp. I have the Quicksilver Silver Sixty mono blocks great amps 20 years no issues.😁

Mike

http://quicksilveraudio.com/past-products/

Schitt Freya+

@ditusa said, I think, that the Quicksilver is not point to point wired.

I have a Quicksilver. I love it. Happy to chat on message with OP if desired. It is point to point wired. Here is the inside.

I am looking for a little warmth in the sound and no harshness. I want some slam and afraid I will lose it if I go with tubes.

@arichison Lose the fear. The only thing you have to look out for is to make sure that at 20Hz, the output impedance of the preamp is less than 1/10th the input impedance of the power amp.

As an example, if the amplifier has an input impedance of 50kOhms, the preamp must have an output impedance not exceed 5kOhms at 20Hz. If you don't see that spec published, simply ask the manufacturer. If they can't supply it move on.

Odds are you’ll never need service , that’s an excellent preamp .  But they are legendary for poor customer service.  

Sorry but VTL service is real bad.  You are lucky to have had a response.  Hey , it’s great sounding gear , I’ve said that many times. But if you bought it second hand don’t expect them to help you , especially if it’s older.  They are not like McIntosh, CJ, ARC , those companies always try to restore and repair legacy products 

I have the VTL 6.5 Series II.  I’m just responding to the fellow who said their service was awful.  I’ve texted Bea Lam at VTL twice in the last year and she responded both times with great advice.  So my experience with them makes me recommend them.  The 6.5 is a different beast altogether than what you are looking at so I’ll hold any comments.

The use of a tube line stage into a solid state amp is sometimes an unpredictable hit or miss gamble.  Even if the output impedance of the tube line stage is low enough, or the input impedance of the amp is high enough for a theoretical match (e.g., amp impedance is at least ten times the output impedance of the line stage), the sonic result may not be that good.  This is not a common event, but, it is a risk.  I've heard several occasions when there was such an incompatibility resulting in a dull, lifeless and muffled sound.  

Also, to really get the benefit of what tubes can do for the sound, one should really start with a tube integrated amp or a tube power amplifier.  It is in the actual driving of the speaker that the benefits of tubes really become evident.  But, it is also where you can run into problems with the sound.  I would start with looking for the right tube amp, not the right tube line stage first, to get into tube sound.

If OP's budget were in the ARC Reference range, he would already have bought it and not bothered asking the question. And he wouldn't be pairing it with that amp!

@arichison 

Depending on n your budget, Audio Research makes great great tube preamps, and amps!

Maybe a Refrence 3? Maybe a Reference 5?