Although like many tubed pre's it doesn't have balanced in and outputs, the Hovland HP-100 or HP-200 is a consideration. I once did an A/B comparison between the Simaudio P-5 and Hovland HP-100. No question, it just took one track of Ryan Adams Heartbreaker to realize the Hovland was much more musical and liquid in the midrange. Unfortunately, the Hovland did have a quiet hum in one channel, which has been noted by others as well. So, do have a listen !
