What improvements would I get with a "better" preamp?

I would suggest as some others have said the Backert Rhumba, BAT VK-32SE, any of the Ayre preamps as well as the Canary Audio line of preamps (all RCA ins and outs).

Hello everyone, this is Melody.

Hi @jjss49 , I just took a moment to check, and it seems this order was not handled by me personally. The communication on Audiogon is currently being managed by my colleague Joe. I have just spoken with him, and he mentioned that he has already replied to you. However, it is possible that due to a system or network issue, the message was not successfully delivered, and he did not notice it either. We sincerely apologize for the delay and for keeping you waiting. He would like kindly asking whether you could break the faulty tube or cut the pins and send him a photo for confirmation. Once he receives it, he will promptly arrange a free replacement for you.

Please rest assured that this is fully in line with our after-sales policy, which is always open and transparent.

If anyone has any questions after purchasing our products, you are always welcome to contact our after-sales support email at any time.（[email protected]）

Thank you all very much for your support, understanding, and trust.

Paging @psvaneaudio @psvane @psvaneofficial [whoever the official is]

See @jjss49 ’s post directly above.  Hopefully you can step in and ensure the tube replacement(s) issue gets resolved, as good as or better than you helped me out.

Please advise next steps for resolution, and then all of us here will be watching how it turns out for jjss49. Thank You   

at the risk of creating a small sidebar here

i recently ordered a set of 101d horizon tubes from psvane for my lampizator dac... they arrived, supposed to be a matched pair, but one tube had bad silkscreen imprint, and was noisy at the outset .. melody first answered quickly when i raised this as an issue... but there has been no response for a few days now since i requested replacement given that the noisy tube has stayed noisy (some get quiet after being in the circuit for a while and settled in, but not in this case...)

so we shall see

well unfortunately the frustration continues...

after sending them pictures of my having destroyed the noisy tube they originally sent me (which they insisted on, prior to shipping a replacement) i received the replacement today and it was sent in a naked single box holding the vacuum tube, without any protective foam or popcorn, and of course the damn tube is broken inside... i won’t embarrass them further by posting a pic here of how carelessly it was packed and shipped, a 12 year old would have done it better...

i did send pics to melody, and i have asked for a refund for the purchase... it is time to cut bait... was curious to try a pair of these 101d tubes in my lampi DAC but it is evidently not to be  

hopefully others will have better luck and i am an outlier data point

Thank you all for interesting advice. I had a few different NOS 12SN7 tubes available but they all seemed a bit too light/polite. I was about to begin searching for different NOS 6SN7 tubes when I spied a used preamp for sale which caught my interest. I ended up purchasing it, a Unison Research Unico Hybrid Preamp. Hybrid as it uses a pair of 12AU7s on input, but ss on output. At the reduced price I paid I figured I could resell if it didn’t work out. I’ve only been able to listen to it once so not yet able to comment. I really like what I hear, but it requires more time to evaluate. One advantage over the Mapletree: it has a remote! But, just my luck, my stupid CD player remote’s Next Track button also increases the preamp’s volume! Argh! Now I have to do math while listening! Ugh!

Right before proceeding with a tube buffer or tube preamp for my first rig, I came across a deal on another solid-state preamp, the Denafrips Hestia. I had heard several positive reviews from reviewers I trust, so I pulled the trigger based on a leap of faith. Previously, I had been running the system with the Schiit Saga 2.

The Hestia features a unity-gain volume control and does not include voltage gain stages like the Saga 2. To avoid having too little usable range on the volume control, I intentionally connected the Harmony Micro DAC to the Hestia using an XLR-to-RCA cable to tap the 2V line-level signal, while using Veritas XLR cables to connect the Hestia to my balanced amplifier.

The result has been highly satisfying. The sound is noticeably more dynamic, with better imaging and separation, smoother and more liquid treble, a bolder midrange, and bassier low end. The soundstage remains similar in width but is taller and deeper. Two particularly significant improvements worth mentioning are: first, clearer and more natural cymbals; and second, a more even sound-pressure contour at low listening volumes.

Some people may prefer a sweeter midrange, but a bolder midrange may better preserve the character of male vocals. So far, the digital glare present in some recordings seems to have been toned down, resulting in less listening fatigue. The Schiit Saga 2 has officially retired from my first rig.

Coming from a McIntosh C22 MKIV to my Cary Audio SLP-05 I get-

*A more enjoyable, refined and lovable sound- golden and slightly euphonic.

*Much taller and more precise sound stage.

*Superior dynamics and jump factor, life like note bursts.  

*Midrange to die for.