Tube preamp options

@tomic601 thanks so much for weighing in. Your I put is valuable as we seem to already have arrived at some similar solutions. It would seem we are interested in some of the same things. I had an ARC Ref3 in my styem for a couple weeks and didnt think it was better than what I had but I admit, it's an older piece and would expect a Ref6 to be much better. While I'm interested in ARC I also find them to be on the very high end cost wise. I understand that going up from where I am the cost/benefit ratio will change but it's still in my mind. 

The idea of a Vandy preamp is intriguing. I wonder if it will be tubed or not. I'm not going to purchase for some months but living where I do I need to make plans to go hear all this stuff and that will likely take some trips to NYC and maybe the great white north. I also appreciate you're comment on the Brinkmann. I've been in touch with the distributor and he's willing to have me to his house to take a listen. I might need to take him up on that. 

Russ

How far are your speakers from the front wall?

and in particular from the acoustic lens which is equidistant from midrange and tweeter… there is a reason the Quattro is a minimum front baffle and deep cabinet… again, great topics for the Vandy forum where there are many Quattro owners…

Glad to help Russ. The R core and caps in the Ref5 se and up don’t come cheap…

At the level you are playing at or aspire to…i would suggest isolation on phono and preamps, i run HRS under my ARC and it makes a big difference… Also IF you go ARC get a NOS TungSol 6550 in the power supply. 

What cartridge and phono and TT isolation are you using ? A preamp isnt going to retrieve micro detail and spatial information that is lost or obscured by noise.
 

I would definitely take the Brinkmann rep up on the offer. Every listening experience with gear at this level is a discernment building experience ;-)

As usual, @tomic601 , gives sound advice, and +1 on joining the Vandy forum.

My 2 cents-

1.Get the new Vandy Preamp  and be done with it.(I think it is all SS, but don't quote me).

2. Find an Ayre KXR (preferrably Twenty, but the non-Twenty is might good).Though I don't know how it interacts with the Rogue, as I have the matching MXR's.

I own both the KXR (non -Twenty) and the Atmasphere MP-1 (essentially stock), and, to be honest, they are pretty darned close in sound reproduction. So, if you are intent on tubes, that might be another option. But, to my ears, the Arye seems a bit 'tighter' than the Atma. 

YMMV

Bob

@tomic601 

Finally…i might counsel you to wait a few months for…the Vandy preamp…rest assured the design goal is to better the REF6, which IMO is no small feat…..

Is Vandersteen going the tube route or is the design a transistor circuit? This seems an ambitious (Surpass the ARC Reference 6SE performance) and serious effort. I wish them well.

Charles