Minimax or Audio Research SP 9 mk III ?

Minimax tube units are voiced Neutral ( i have the Minimax phono ) and may not give your more body..Audio Research sp-9 ( I had the mk2 )can be a touch on the lean side ..I could be wrong but the 2 mentioned are not your typical tubey sound tube units.. ( assuming you really do want more body )..........Not sure if that helps but thats my take on the two mentioned..........

I owned an ARC SP-9 for a few years and one thing that did warm it up some was the use of brass tube anchors from Mapleshade. I also tried some NOS tubes that I felt made a difference. The ARC unit is a very musical preamp and is worth the extra effort in my oppinion.

.
Be careful with the SP 9 mk III, I owned it and kept it for less than a week before I got rid of it. It was woefully too thin sounding....too anemic for me.
.

Agreed, the AR 9 Mk II is thin sounding and lacks dynamics, not one of AR's better offerings. NOS tubes won't give it sufficient body, the SS circuitry dominates any tube swaps.

.
Ken,......I noticed you mentioned a Sony PSP in your system. How do you configure it to play music in your system? I own a PSP and never looked beyond the gaming capabilities.

...thanks.....

...mitch
.