i once had the arc sp-16l and now i have a supratek chardonnay. though i had some other pre's between the two, i don't remember the arc exhibiting as much emotion as the supratek does. the supratek just brings out the life, body, and emotion of the music better in my opinion. there's a used one for sale here right now (not mine) so you might could go that route and save time (6-7 months) and money.
Give me a tube preamp that looks and sound great
Just looking for a tube preamp that is quiet, has great extension and realism, and is aroung 2000 USD. I've got an Audio Research SP 16L now and want to take things a step above. I use an Odyssey Dual mono amp and Dynaudio Contour 1.3 MKII speakers. I've begun to investigate the Supratek Chardonnay and Dehavillard preamps. My styles of listening run the gamet with focus on rock, jazz, and folk. Thanks to all for you opinions. I do like the look of outboard tubes too.