I'd second the ARC SP-15 which is a great value & classic valve preamp if you can find one here on the 'Gon. Another good pre to look at is a near new Modwright LS-100 which you can pick up (ex phono stage) for around $2k, or with phono stage around $3k.
Which is a better choice? New, or used preamp?
So I've been doing a lot of research, and am interested in people's opinions about a new vs. used tube preamps...
I'm looking for a good quality tube pre, maybe around $1500. People have recommended some new products (Doge an YS for example) in that price range, but I can't help but wonder if I'm not going to get a better performance with a used pre in that price range that used to sell new for maybe $2500-$3500?
That would be a 10-15 year old pre probably, so has the quality advanced such that the YS could present a better soundstage, for example?
Thanks,
Michael
I'm looking for a good quality tube pre, maybe around $1500. People have recommended some new products (Doge an YS for example) in that price range, but I can't help but wonder if I'm not going to get a better performance with a used pre in that price range that used to sell new for maybe $2500-$3500?
That would be a 10-15 year old pre probably, so has the quality advanced such that the YS could present a better soundstage, for example?
Thanks,
Michael