If you had 10k for pre and power amp but you had

With 10k to play with, I would start with a First Sound pre and a Lamm M1.1. I have heard this preamp produce the magic,and I chose the Lamm for its' class a operation and stunning sonics.I love tubes,but I don't need the frustration of the sound changing as the tubes age-not as much a problem in low level equipment{pre,dac,phono}.Both pieces are available on the used market and should fit the dollar figure.M1.1s only use a single tube,give much of the benefits of tubes with ss control in the bass.Unless high power is needed for a low efficiency speaker or to fill a large room,they're hard to beat. Enjoy-Tom

If I had to allocate $2K & $8K then I would pay closer attention to the preamp. I've gone through 5 preamps in the past year all of which were in a similar price category (~$500 to $1500 used) and they all had their own distinct character, strengths and weaknesses. And these differences were more pronounced than the differences between power amps that I have tried over the years. This of course assumes that your amp is at least sufficient to drive your speakers in the first place. Not that there's a magic formula but I would rather split the $10K more evenly, perhaps $6K preamp, and $4K power amp. (And again, only if the $4K power amp will be sufficient for whatever speakers you are driving).

Tpsonic do you know who designed the first sound preamps? i wish not to say, but will say he is a brillint designer.

He also designed the Presence Preamp ...