Audio Valve Eklipse vs Other Tubed Pre-Amps

I bought my Eklipse after comparing it with the CJ PV12, Art Audio, Kora Eclipse, Kora Equinoxe, Belles, and Plinius CDLad (I have the Plinius SA100/3 amp). Ultimately, it came down to a battle of the Ek/clipses. The Kora added a bit of sweetness throughout it's entire musical range that while it never called extra attention to itself (as compared with the CJ, Art Audio, Belles and Equinoxe), was very obviously "flavoring" the music. To explain -- the other preamps called more attention to their colorations by not having them appear throughout their entire frequency range. so you could hear the "humps" in each, to the degree that they had them. The Eclipse had no such "humps" and was smooth through its range, but it was nonetheless obviously sweetened (of course, IMHO).

The Kora was beautiful and seductive, and I almost went for it (I really went back and forth between the two), but ultimately, I went with the AudioValve. The Eklipse was just so clear and tonally correct to my ears, and had the best top to bottom extension of the group. I also really preferred it's look to the Kora :-)

You don't mention your amp or speakers, but that will also impact which would work best for you. If your system leans toward analytical, you might be better with the Kora. If you are leaning towards the romantic, then the AudioValve may help keep you from going over the edge. If you are looking for "neutrality" then I would definitely suggest the AudioValve over the Kora.

Glad to have been of any help. I sort of envy you your ability to swap out different speakers depending upon the music you play, but I think I'd go mad juggling all those different sounds. What amp/amps are you using? I understand what you said about resale value -- though part of the allure of the Eklipse for me was that it was a bit esoteric in the US market. Personally, I plan to hold onto mine for a long while.

I don't know either the BAT or the SF, though both are frequently mentioned here and at the audioasylum. Remember that the BATs are all balanced outputs, so you need to have balanced inputs on your amp or you'll need to use their converter, which I somehow doubt will give you the real benefit of the preamp.

best of luck in your quest. Please post or email me your impressions of the preamps to which you listen. Always interesting to hear someone else's take on the gear.