You might consider a PS Audio Stellar Gold preamp. A little outside your budget new, but they often have factory refurbished units that would fall into your price range. I have one, and imaging and Soundstage is great. And those are my hot buttons. Very clean and neutral sound. Has XLR output and input.
Upgrading pre amp advice.
I am thinking about upgrading my pre amp (Bryston BP 25) for a pre amp which is also neutral but more musical/fluid and even more reveaIing. Also I want more 'depth' and better placing of instruments and voices. It's always hard to describe in words ; )
At the moment I have a dual mono (dual power supply) Nilai power amp, a Metrum Onyx ladder/NOS Dac (with the latest DAC3 modules) fed by an Auralic G1 streamer (upgraded with Hoerwege PSU) using semi open baffle Qualio IQ speakers.
Budget would be around 2000 Euros / 2350 US dollars.
When possible xlr (balanced) in and outputs.
I am listening to very different styles of music (Classical music, Rock, Jazz, Blues, World Music, etcetera)
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@vhond - I recommend the Linear Tube Audio Microzotl preamp. I see there are used ones that you could pick up for $3500 - $4K. |
@vhond I have the Benchmark LA4 preamp and can’t fault it. It is brilliant for what it is. I bought an Audio Research Ref 6SE preamp a couple of months ago to see what the hype was all about. The ARC thoroughly impressed me. It brought everything to the table which I thought the Benchmark LA4 “lacked”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m keeping the LA4 for a second system but the ARC is now in my reference system and I can’t see any reason to replace it, ever. To really appreciate what it brings to the table you have to pair it with amps and speakers that are on par. |
Afgree with @ghdprentice , it is likely not worthwhile to change with this budget in mind. Even on the resale market. As a principle I have always waited to go to a meaningful step above. Not only just to hear a significant difference but to also get better value. In the long run it is more satisfying and economical IMHO. In the meantime, I suggest you go audition different preamps at different price points. Good luck in your search. |
I owned the BP-20 + MPS-1 power supply long ago. The Benchmark LA4 + HPA4 are much better than the Bryston. I owned both BM preamps and loved them; however, I just sold my HPA4 because my new DAC is more revealing than the HPA4 (rare to have that happen). Over the past decade every single DAC and tuner I put on the LA4 or HPA4 sounded great. DACs were always better into the BM than direct to amp (except my new unicorn DAC). I bought my last HPA4 for $2350 and sold it for $2000 to raise funds. I also just ordered a Schiit Saga 2 preamp ($279) to play my tuners. Super cheap and supposed to be rather good. The only preamp I liked more than the HPA4 + LA4 was the $33k Allnic top end model. I heard that in my system, and it was as detailed as the HPA4 but also had some of that tube distortion to take it up a level. Most tube preamps are a no go for me.
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