Need help in deciding

Choosing a preamp can be a very personal journey. I have found that finding the right preamp can be more difficult than finding the right ________.

That said, what kind of sound are you looking for? New or used? More musicality or transparency? Tubes or solid state? Outside of a HT bypass, is there any other features that you want, like a remote control, balance control, phase invert, etc.? Are you looking to run balanced or single ended? I would suggest that if your budget is $2K, maybe single ended would offer more choices. Let us know a little more information,and maybe we can help narrow down the options.

I know what you mean about veiled Hiflyer, I gave up on high end SSP's musical ability about 12 years ago. I never did find one that handled music well.

The AI Mod 3 is a very good preamp, and great bang for the buck. It's a shame it doesn't have a HT bypass for you.
Lately, I've become a fan of 6SN7 tube preamps, with their big, bold sound. Some Cary SLP-98's have a HT bypass, and can be had used in your price range. They are very musical and easy on the ears. If you can't find a used one with HT bypass, you could buy one used and have Cary install a HT bypass for $350.

Here is a link, look about halfway down the page under "Modifications".

Another option is a used BAT VK-3iX(SE). Yes, it is balanced, but does have RCA inputs and outputs, and with BAT, any input can be configured into a HT bypass. That's all I can think of off-hand, maybe others will provide alternative suggestions. Happy hunting!

Cheers,
John

Glenn, both are fairly easy for tube rolling. The BAT VK-3iX uses (4) 6DJ8/6922/7308 family of tubes in the line stage and (2) 6V6's in the power supply section, all can be rolled. The SE versions of the BAT use the 6H30 tube, which cannot be rolled easily. So the VK-3iX is very different from the VK-3iXSE.

The Cary SLP-98 uses (4) 6SN7's in the line stage, which also can be easily rolled.

Rolling in the Cary may be a little easier, since there is no cover to remove. :)

Glenn, great amps! I owned a pair of the Clayton M-100's, and I thought they were about the best SS amps I've ever heard. Wilson Shen and Stan Klyne are two SS designers that seem to have figured out how to do it right. :)

As for Zd542's reco's, yes, any CJ tube preamp will fall into the musical sound that you are looking for too. I am just not aware of a CJ model that has a HT bypass. If there is one, it should also be on your list.
The Aesthetix Calypso is more on the transparent side of the fence, with preamps like ARC and VAC. These are all good preamps in the right system, but since you responded that you were looking more for musicality than transparency, that's why I did not mention the Calypso. Also, you may not be able to get one for under $2K.