which preamp

"10-11-14: Smokenjo
as I said before not many audio stores in south florida, so to audition tube preamps is difficult,and to find a balanced tube pre that is in my price range. THE TRL dose not have a in home audition,so to read what other forums have to say about reviews of different preamps is helping my decision"

I understand where you are coming from, but buying a preamp without listening to it, especially tubes, is very risky. Have you tried Wellington Audio? He's in South Florida and has quite a bit of tube gear on display. There's no problem at all with bringing your current gear into the store and trying it with whatever he has. It's definitely worth the drive. Also, try The Cable Company. There's a good chance they may have a preamp to lend you.

Consider Coincident Statement Linestage. Owned a lot of pre amps, this one makes you forget you're listening to electronics.

I have the Audio Horizons preamp -- fully loaded. I am very happy with it. But you need to roll the right tubes. I am now using a NAD M51 DAC but I have a PS Audio DS DAC arriving next week.

Neither. In that price range I would go for a good 2nd hand Aesthetix Janus Signature then upgrade it with Jupiter copper foil in wax caps & NOS tubes like Grannyring. Best bang for the buck "under $25k" imho.

Zd542,

I agree about listening to a preamp before buying it. But it is not just a matter of tube products and risk. If you don't roll the right tubes in the preamp you may think you have a dud where you may actually have a jewel -- if you only knew.