A preamp recommendation


Hello everyone,  I'm looking for a "neutral" preamp that does not emphasize and de-emphasize any frequency range but has just a tiny bit of warmth.  Accurate harmonic information resulting in natural instrumental timbre, outstanding sound staging and imaging, solid extended bass without typical under controlled bass of typical tubes or over damped bass of transistors, crystalline smooth extended high frequency, excellent micro and macro dynamics, and clear transparent sound are all important to me.  I don't like hyper detailed sound typical of some transistor preamps or overly smooth warm sound of some tube preamps.  Currently, my favorite preamp is an autoformer passive preamp which gives many of the sound quality I like, but it lacks the drive and impact I get from active preamps. I have auditioned some top preamps from Audio Research, D'Agustino, Pass, among others, but was underwhelmed due to lack of transparency, inaccurate timbre, and/or significant deviation from overall neutrality.  I don't care if the preamp is solid state or tube, long as my requirements are met.  All of my amps have input impedance of 50KOhms or above. Which preamp would best fit my taste?  Any preamp new or used $15k or under would be on my list. Thank you.

dracule1

ghdprentice, I have auditioned the ARC Ref 6. Unfortunately, I found it colored and veiled IN MY SYSTEM.  ARC's new amps sound excellent. But thanks for the suggestion. 

I think the Bryston BP26 might tick all your boxes and possibly save you $$$. It’s as close to a “straight wire with gain” product as I’ve heard. Or, put another way, it sounds like a passive preamp with balls. It’s like a clean, clear, open window on sound and just completely gets out of the way of the music.

On the tube side and given what you’re looking for the Atmasphere MP1, Backert Rhythm, and Linear Tube Audio MicroZOTL preamps would all be high on my radar, but if you’re running fully balanced the MP1 deserves extra consideration. Best of luck.

Audio Research would be the correct recommendation but I'm not a fan after owning two of them. No bounce, no excitement. 

"I’m looking for a "neutral" preamp that does not emphasize and de-emphasize any frequency range but has just a tiny bit of warmth."

The Benchmark LA4 preamp is my fav but it has no warmth. I love it with my KRELL Dou amp, which is warm. It also is great with a CODA #8 amp, which is slightly warm.

You will not find anything more neutral than that, expect the Topping pre90 that is very similar to the LA4 and much cheaper. The pre90 does not mate well with all amps, while the LA4 is bullet proof. Do not let the low price of the LA4 fool you into thinking it is low quality. I think it is the best preamp out there. I like it totally neutral.

I also own a CODA 07x preamp and it is colored but also a great sounding unit.