Preamp advice

@kunalraiker 

Ah, bummer.....I wasn't sure of the dynamics of purchasing from a US seller.

In the US, a REF 6 is usually between the LS 28 and LS 28SE in price.  I haven't heard the LS 28/28SE but if you were going to stretch all the way to approximately $6000USD then I would go for the REF 6.

Below that, the LS27 really stood out for me.  I had it paired with a PH8 phono which was also fantastic. 

@dhite71 

The ls28se is available  for $8500 aud used  and in mint condition, that a deal ?

@kunalraiker 

I don't have a blue book subscription but simply going off the ads showing recently sold on hifishark in the US and from what I have seen them listed for.....I would say that is a very good deal and fair price.  This is quite likely a preamp that would work for many years for you.  It is much higher than your $1500 you shared earlier so make sure you aren't going to have major remorse and freak out tomorrow!!  : )

@dhite71 

Hence Iam hesitant, one thing I have learnt  in my audiophile journey is the laws of diminishing returns hit at just a few hundreds of dollars post a humblenpiece of gear.

I have requested for a home demo of the ls28se and compare it to my preamp before making any decision.

I highly doubt I will be convinced  it's better than my ec 4.7 by much if any stall. That has put me off upgrading for a very long time

E as I know I will regret.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisbhi8d-audio-research-ls28se-preamp-silver-tube?refsource=hifishark

Your budget is $1,500, yet now you’re looking at a $12,000 piece just because a few Audiogon users said so. An $8,000 used price is not a deal—$5,950 might be, but it’s still four times your budget (and the seller might even be behind the scenes).

In the $6,000 range, there are many strong options that have received solid professional reviews. Have you done your homework?  Why a piece sitting for ~5 months at a steep “marked down from $12k to $6k” price can not get sold in 5 months?  Thank about it.