Looking for Tube Pre Amp Advice

EAR Yoshino 868PL but if your bdget can push out further the 912 Two Tube pre-amps that will go toe to toe with anything at any price and phono stages that will best most standalones.

It’s important with tube pre amps to correctly match the input and output impedances as well as the amplifier input sensitivity or the sound can be mushy and you will be reaching maximum volume at very low attenuator levels.  Tube pre amps often have high output voltage like 20 volts and solid state amps can have input sensitivity of 1 volt or less for maximum output.  That’s a match made in hell.

Do your homework.

I am having a Pre Amp produced in keeping with my typical method selected for having audio equipment created tom be used in my system.

A Commission Build is underway for designing / building my next Pre Amp' using an EE, who has become a friend of more than 30 Years.

This EE has produced Power Amp's - Pre Amp's and Phonostages for me over the course of this friendship, all of which I still own and easily transportable designs are also put out for loan.

The build currently being undertaken, is a complex design, enabling the use of ECC99 - 6SN7 - 12BH7A - and SS - 1 x Channel Balanced In / Balanced Out - 2 x Channels Single Ended In / Single Ended Out. Both Valve and SS Designs are with a specialised Gain Control put in place.

I have the Prototype of the SS Stage in use at the current time and am more than happy with the impression made, I has not become the model that I am going to permanently. The same Pre Amp has also been compared to other loaned Pre's to my system and it has performed admirably in their Company, especially considering Valves used in a loaned Pre' are almost costing much more then the entire BOM of the SS Prototype. 

I don't do plugging products, there is not one post on the Gon accusing me of such, usually quite the opposite. After seeing this thread, I thought the mention was worthwhile for the OP. 

This EE, has most of their income generated from producing Bespoke electronic designs that end up residing in Countries that are very far from the UK, working with a overseas customer is their day to day activity.       

EE... Lost me there sorry...

@bobbyloans Does your Parasound amp have a toggle switch for selecting RCA/XLR input? If so, and you like both a super detailed AND holographic sound, I will suggest what I am using. The $500 Schiit Valhalla 3 OTL/OCL preamp. It has no remote, but I use the remote volume on my DAC or the Valhalla 3 volume.

The best preamp I ever heard is the Allnic OTL/OCL preamp at $33k. I figured out what makes this tube preamp different from other tubes preamps, the uber detail, is because of the OTL/OCL design.

I came across the $500 Valhalla 3 OTL/OCL and it is also very detailed and holographic. Not the syrupy and/or rolled off sound of most tube gear. It is not as good as the Allnic but I like it over ALL other tube preamps I have heard (not many).

I use the Valhalla 3 with my CODA #16 amp via RCA. I use another DAC/preamp (imersiv D-1) via XLR into the CODA’s XLR. This is what I am suggesting to you for the $500 Valhalla 3. There is also 15-day home trial period, and the unit does not need burn-in unlike almost all other gear I owned.

You may like it as much as I do and save a ton of cash.