Pre-amp decision

Tim--thanks for the great tips. I will be looking at the amp first as you suggested. Most reviews of the Paradigms have been great with the Bryston 3B or 4Bs so I will probably find a used one of those. I have considered tube amps but want the tighter low end and reliability of solid state. The pre-amp is another story and think that a tube preamp will warm things up just a tad and improve the mids. Thats the theory anyway. Again thanks for the input....

I had recently purchased a Bryston BP 25 and 4B ST and thought that I was in music nirvana.
Then my friend asked ..why don't you try a tube preamp with the 4B ST.
I was able to audition,in my own home..in my own system..
a Blue Circle 3.1 and let me tell you ,my BP 25 never went back into my system. The improvement ..well the only word to decribe it is..WOW..
Granted this preamp is about twice as much as the BP 25 but the improvement is worth every penny.
Blue Circle also make a entry level preamp BC21, which there are a few for sale on Audiogon.
I don't think you can go wrong with either a Rogue or a Blue Circle..
I have since sold my BP 25 on Audiogon..
Happy looking and listening....

The Rogue 66 Magnum with the 3-B SST is an excellent choice, as is the BP-20/25 Bryston with Bryston amplifiers. The combination Bryston's is what I'd lean towards -you'll have a great sounding reliable system for a long time.

peter jasz

Just make sure you give a tube preamp a listen.You will not be disappointed.

I have owned both the Rogue 66(non-magnum) and the BP-25 both being married up to my 4B-ST. The BP-25 is brutally revealing and accurate. The Rogue on the other hand offers a warmth that gives me more listening pleasure for longer periods of time. Rogue preamps would be a good match but there are other inexpensive tube units out there that would also offer a nice presentation - Sonic Frontiers, Cary, Audible Illusions to name just a few. But do try to audition a tube preamp if you can...