New guy needs firstpre amp


Hi folks, rather than take over a previous thread, thought that I would start a new one. I am buying seperates for the first time. I have Nuforce ref v2 se's, B&W 805s's, Ayre cdp.
I am a soundstage and imaging fan. I really like to see musicians in space.
I have a $2k budget this time out. I also need ht pass. Lastly, I would like lower gain / more fine tuning from a volume standpoint. Here is what seems to fit the bill so far and I am sure any would be great for a first pre:
The nuforce p9
the JRDG capri
the cj 17ls
the pass labs x2.5
are there any others in that price range that I am missing?
Thanks in advance to all. This really is a great community.
jimmy3993

Showing 1 response by clio09

I'll second the Capri. It's a nice fit on your budget. I just bought one and have put about 500 hours on it. Very good soundstage and imaging, extremely quiet and as the volume control is very good as well. It also has a polarity switch (not via remote control though, bummer) which I like to play with and a balance control with .5db steps. I use it in balanced mode and it sounded better to me this way versus single ended.