Tube Preamps.....

I second the Denafrips DAC. For preamps, I’ve had a half dozen or so, but a few years ago bought a demo Rogue Metis Magnum for only $1100 (didn’t even listen to the stock tubes initially) and being new to tube preamps paired w solid state amps, over a year and a half stretch of obsession, rolled about $4k worth of 6SN7 and VT99 tubes (w adapters). I ultimately declared a clear winner.. and that was the NOS (or even used) VT-99 Tung Sol’s (also black glass like their 6SN7 brothers). In the VT-99, flat plate or round plate.. both are suprisingly similar, they were dramatically quieter, higher bandwidth, and therefore more revealing than anything else. Raytheon’s and Sylvania grey glass (from Argentina) were also excellent but a step back from TS VT99. Even Tung Sol’s crazy expensive much heralded round plate 6SN7 didn’t come close.. too noisy and twice and expensive. On a lark one day, i put in the original tubes (still low hrs) and they were unlistenable, relatively speaking. I’m not sure how the preamp garnered such rave reviews with them, but perhaps i’d just been spoiled . I believe the Metis loves great NOS VT-99’s w adapters because it separates the main power lead from the interior of the Tube, which is important in a lower tier preamp such as the Metis. Expensive tube preamps are probably less sensitive to rolling, but this one needs the separated lead to operate quietly. Here, It is a very dynamic, transparent preamp which injects the perfect amount of 2nd harmonic distortion into my solid state equipment chain. So you’re looking at maybe $1200-1400 (w NOS tubes and adapters) for a giant killer.