$5000.00 To Spend Looking for Tube Pre-Amp

TRL dude. Price is supposed to go up soon, so not sure if it will fit your budgetary constraints....

I have heard good things about Thor over the years. Did not realize it had new ownership....

Dragon, the latest Dude with Dueland cast capacitors is in another league from even the previous generation of Dudes. I experienced that transition.

As for the CLS comparison, that was in a Coincident system, so synergy cannot be ignored. Either way, HEAR it for yourself.

For a bedroom, background music system, this seems like overkill. Get a decent integrated.

Dragon, I thought pre-amps were a waste of money? (http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1346098814&openflup&23&4#23):

I've been forced to reevaluate the role of preamps. The best sound I have achieved is result of adding a stepped resistor volume control at the input stage inside of my tube amp.

and

I guess I hit proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I can not imagine spending $5k or above for a good active preamp, when I'm getting this kind of result. I've heard a lot of expensive active preamps $15k+, and I don't remember getting this level of transparency, neutrality (more warmth and less thinness, like real life), detailed smoothness, dynamics and soundstaging/imaging. I guess all the stars lined up for me. YMMV.

What has changed between 8/27/12 and now? Why not duplicate what you have in your big rig? What does your main rig consist of currently?