Opportunity to buy the best Preamp... but which?

Jfz, the last CTC Blowtorch to be completed is available, although perhaps not for long. It is a classic but is too much trouble to build.

Newly,

Does your list come from personal experience or just guessing based on reputation? I've heard many of the preamps listed and I find huge gaps in performance between these various models. Listing every preamp with a high price tag or a good review doesn't help anyone.

Mojo

Thanks for all the replies!

Let me explain a little - I'm in the market for a new pre-amp with almost no budget constraint. I've heard many of the pre-amps I listed, but not in comparison to one another, except for a couple though not extensively.

I left out from my list some obvious brands, like BAT, Boulder, Einstein, McIntosh, LAMM, Linn, Levinson, because I don't particularly like them sonically.

Having said that, I guess it was obvious to me before my post, and now after so many replies, that choosing from that list is probably a question of "flavour" rather than finding one Good-Better-Best among them.

With that in mind, do you think we've reached the age of Renaissance for Pre-Amp designs? Are there any new designs that leapfrog all these top machines?

Andrew

Take Markwatkiss' advice and save tons of money by trying an Audio Horizons TP 2.0 preamp for 30 days.

It's really worth a listen, I'm not affiliated with the company, just a very satisfied listener.

Andrew; based on your tastes...

"My preference would be a neutral tube based model."

.....you are looking for a preamp that has a bit of the sweetness of tubes, but not euphonic warmth.

i have heard all those pre's on your list and to my ears the darTZeel NHB-18NS will give you both the sweetness and neutrality you are seeking. it is the only one that is battery powered.....which really does set it apart in areas of low noise and dynamics. it also contains a world class phono stage. if you choose to use it with the darTZeel NHB-108 amplifier you will save money on interconnects at it uses a propietary BNC 'zeel' cable which has amazing performance, can be any length up to 1 kilometer, and is relatively cheap.

any of those other pre's and others mentioned in this thread are very good.....you are right....it becomes a matter of taste and context at this level of gear.

good luck and have fun with your choice.