Who Offers a Highly Musical Preamp using a 6SN7 tube and a remote?


Compatible with a Pass Labs XA25. 
Must use the 6SN7 tube.
Also a remote.
Budget to $2k and less than 4 years old. 
Anyone done this exercise lately.

Pass specs-
INPUT  Impedance= 47K
GAIN = 20db
  
gadios

That is a good heck of a list of 6SN7 preamps where one can be happy with any one of those.

As for me, I am using an Aric Audio preamp(close to the Motherload II build, but not quite) with my Pass XA-25 for at least 18 mos. or more now, and there’s no changing to anything else for me! Can’t compare the Aric to anything else on the list, but it betters any other 12au7 or 6922 based preamp I’ve used in the past. 6sn7s are the real deal for preamps. I can get great music out of the Aric with a whole slew of 6SN7 and 5v regulator tube combinations… many flavors of sonic bliss can be created!!

I have a Supratek Cabernet and love it. One of the advantages of customer built stuff is that you can modify it. Mine has an extra set of balanced outputs and can use either 12sn7 or 6sn7 tubes. That has allowed me to own some of the otherwise out of my budget tubes like the round plate Tungsol and “Bad Boy” Sylvania tubes. 

I run an Aric Audio Motherlode II in my main system. I rotate two First Watt amps,or a pair of Monarchy Audio amps. I find the results beyond what I could have ever expected. While the Motherlode is above the budget, Aric does make other 6sn7 preamps.  Try reaching out to him. He’s very accessible and very good to work with. 

@decooney  Well, I own a n Aric Audio Special Pre  with 6SN7 tubes. I have paired it with both the XA25 and the Aric Transcend Amplifier driving Tannoy Sterlings. Great Preamp in both cases. With the Sterlings I believe I like the tube amp best.