Line Stage Preamps that blew you away $2500 Edition

Unfortunately I think there are a lot of systems out there where the preamp is the bottleneck....  that said there are great speakers that aren’t realizing their full potential, sold off for the latest and greatest.... it’s a vicious circle 

@oddiofyl  100% agree and I feel like that’s where I’m at. I like my line stage but it’s the only piece that hasn’t “wow’d me” from its install. I feel like a great line stage for the money is where I can make that leap.

@charles7  I believe he is referring to this http://sanderssoundsystems.com/products/preamplifier

People are saying a lot of good things about the Backert but still it’s $4500 so not cheap ...  Rogue is probably best bang for the buck and fits price wise.  Rogue consistently puts out good stuff.   

@gochurchgo

To your ears does the Hattie achieve that “band/artist in your room” sense of presence? Do you feel the sound has adequate weight and dimension?

To your first question, IME, no preamp can do that, and certainly not on its own without being but one piece in an otherwise really good system.

To your “adequate weight and dimension” question, I would say that as a passive, both the Khozmo unit with the Takman REY resistors and the Hattor with the Amtrans AMRG carbon film resistors do very well at passing along what they are fed. My initial impressions are that the Takman REY resistors are a touch more revealing while the AMRG resistors are a touch more musical, or not quite as honest, and fall on the spectrum somewhere between carbon comp and metal film resistors. My opinion has always been that buffered or active preamps in most cases provide more weight and dimension than pure passives, which have usually sounded slightly thin when I have directly compared them to actives in my systems. Based on my listening so far, engaging the NewClassD op amp circuit on the Hattor (I have been using 3dB gain) adds the necessary weight, tonal density, and dimension that is similar to when I engage my SMc Audio unity gain buffer with a passive volume control. I am not convinced the sound through the Hathor’s op amp circuit is better than through my SMc buffer, but it may be close enough.