Recommendations for a tubed preamp

Aric Audio without hesitation!

I have his Motherlode paired to a Coda 16 and it is by far the best my system has ever sounded...and I have had a lot of gear go on and off the audio rack. The inside of his tube offerings may appear messy in comparison, but it only because he personally builds and hand wires all of the internal components and never uses circuit boards. Call him and speak with him...you will not hear a better tube preamp at any price. And he is a great guy with the best customer service in our industry!

@gabriel123  Please don't bite my head off for what I'm saying, I'm not an electrician but why inside of Aric Audio looks so messy and chaotic compared to LTA and other recommended preamps? :)

Welcome to boutique builders with hand made point-to-point wired and direct-soldered units with shorter distances, and most with more direct wiring vs circuit boards and production line assembly units catering to plug-in connectors and speed of build. The proof is in the pudding when listening and comparing. 

The only time it matters more is when the cover is off and you want it to look good instead, or if there is noise generated as a result of things touching each other that should not be. Most design-builders accommodate for this, and they measure for noise before sending units out. They know how things can be wired and configured manually like this and big MFGs dont do it this way because it's labor intensive.  That's why people like and buy the boutique builder units, most sound better. Only way to know is to try one or demo one. Best of Luck on the new journey.  

@laaudionut  How would you describe the sound character of the Aric?
Have you had a chance to check out the Aric Audio Super 6SN7?
I’m asking because I found one on a local auction with the following description:

"This version got all possible upgrades from the bigger brother "The Motherlode II

Tube rectified and regulated power supply
Miflex KPCU copper-foil/paper in oil coupling capacitors
Khozmo 64 step relay based remote volume controller
DC coupled input stage fed to a low impedance cathode follower
Gold-plated ceramic tubes sockets
Gold-plated Neutrik RCA jacks
Fused IEC jack with integral power switch
Fully hand-built

Built in upgrades:
Jupiter copper foil coupling caps
Takman metal film resistors"

You will have to pardon my approach to describing the sound qualities of Aric's gear, as I am merely a music lover and not a reviewer versed in audio superlatives and vernacular. For reference, with my Pass SS Amps(XA60.8, and XA160.8), and now Coda Model 16 I have heard each of the following tube preamps in my rack and listening room,

McIntosh C2300, C2500

Luxman CL38

ARC 5R

Don Sachs

The Motherlode bests them all in how rich and musical it presents itself. More depth and dimensionality in regards to the separation of instruments, left-right, back-front...it was as close to the "live" sound that we all chase. Detail is superb, but not analytical. The bass is tight and punchy, where others were mushy at times.  In the end it just sounds best to my ears.

If it matters, I also have one of Aric's Special EL34 Push -Pull Amps that I pair with some high efficiency speakers and it too is spectacular!