Looking for Tube Pre Amp Advice

Great. Good luck. Look forward to hearing what you choose. Make sure you look carefully at Audio Research preamps.

I’m also considering a tube pre.  I think one of the advantages of the Backert preamps, is when it’s HT By-Pass - the tubes are off. I don’t want to use up tube life when I’m watching a show on TV. I think Cary has this feature on their Preamps as well.   As far as the best sounding tube pre, I have little personal experience with any - which is why I still in the considering stage.

Sorry to hear about Mick, great guy. I have a Supratek DHT / 6SN7. It's basically two two preamps in one. Mick says, listen to the DHT section and the 6SN7 section and you decide which you like best. It has two XLR inputs, 2 RCA inputs, an XLR output, and an two RCA outputs. It has adjustable gain. I have 45 tubes in the DHT section feeding my open baffles and the 6SN7's feeding my subs. I haven't had many high end preamps, so can't give any comparisons. Truly great sounding. 

robshaw,

All Aric Audio preamps that are currently made, do have adjustable gain.

The Don Sachs/Lynn Olson Raven preamp does not have adjustable gain, if I remember correctly.....I haven't had it in my system for about 9 months or so

All of the higher end Supratek preamps that I have had in my system (both Cabernets and the Grange) have had adjustable gain.

I hope that helps

I too would recommend a 6SN7 based preamp.  The 6SN7 is the most linear and musical small tube ever made, IMO, and a lot of high-end experts would agree.  I use my own build very similar to what Don Sachs used to make, with different power-supply components.  I never get tired of it.  I also have never had trouble with microphony.  You have to use good-quality NOS tubes, IMO.  Don used to sell his with high-end Chinese coke-bottle 6SN7s, and I have found that these can be very microphonic.