What's wrong with an Ayre K-1 or K-3? Actually, I haven't heard the K-3, but I hear that it is quite similar sounding to the K-1, which is probably somewhere within everyone's 5-10 best that there is. Or at least it should be. The K-1 has a smoothness and lushness which belies its top-end air. No solid state sound there! Also, both Ayre's supposedly have some of the best phono sound anywhere. Either Ayre will certainly beat the BAT or ARC electronics hands down. I haven't heard the Atma-sphere or YBA. Both are pretty expensive brands. I have heard both good and bad things about the Atma-sphere preamps. I have heard about a lack of bass, particularly in the MP-3 And the MP-1 uses 19 tubes. Ouch. The MP-3 uses 10, I think. Besides, if you are looking for an exceptional 10 tube preamp, there is always the CAT. The current Ultimate model is the preamp of choice for quite a few reviewers. It also has an excellent phono section. As far as speaker wire, you can consider Kimber 4tc biwire. It's cheap. It's neutral and it is not rolled off. And I know from personal experience that it works well with Vandersteen. If you want a little more high frequency energy, you could try JPS Superconductor
Cables 4 Vandy 3's & preamp 4 Ayre V-3
I have a pair of Vandersteen plain 3's, not A's, not Signatures powered by an Ayre V-3. Need a recommendation on a 10' biwired cable (used) circa $500 or under. Current contenders: Transparent Music Wave Supers, Cardas Quadlink, MIT T2. Please feel free to recommend others. Here's the hard part...I need a musical preamp (used) under $2000, with at least 1 bal out, 2 or more bal in, REMOTE control, tape (line) out (bal would be nice here, but very rare). If tube, must be quiet (low noise floor) but punchy (in the bass freqs). If SS, must be musical and non-harsh, like a Krell or Levinson, sans their upper eschelon price tags. A nice phono stage would be icing on the cake, but I could always buy a standalone unit (phono recommedations under $1000??). Preamp contenders: BAT VK-3i or VK-20???, ARC LS2B, Atma-sphere, YBA, Ayre K-3, others??? Musical tastes range from Gabrielli & Bach, to Billie, Ella, Thelonius, to Krall, to U2 and remixed contemporary dance music. Your comments are VERY much appreciated. Thanks for your time, Michael