Joule LA100 MKIII or Granite Audio 770FP or Modwrt

The Joule is ever so slightly tubey. The Modwright is definitely not tubey, more neutral sounding. Both are very good in their price range. Choice of tubes will dramatically affect how quiet either one is.

Building a system by counterbalancing flaws is a waste of money in the long run. Buy the most neutral gear you can find, and then match it with neutral gear. Cheers,
Spencer

joulet electra 100MK111, is a contender, great raw mid range,and sweet highs, but on the romantic side,and extremely involving sound, cant' go wrong with joulet
own the 150MK11 and absolutely love it, my system has evolved arround this preamp.
the only weakness is the bass is a little boomy, Tried many power cables trying to tighten bass, the only cable that worked for me, was the XLO sig3 P/C, now has great bass and focus,also use cardas GR,interconnects on top and XLO sig3, from preamp/amp I have auditioned many preamps,and my joulet always comes out on top, just for sheer musicality: ,

I just bought a Joule Electra LA 100 Mk III used here on Audiogon, and I have to say, it's really great. Not as quiet as my Morrison ELAD, but the separation of instruments, dynamic grading and bass are all better. A natural organic sound, but not overly tubey.

I have owned both the Joule and the Modwright, altho several years apart. I would say the description of their sounds ( I am more a gestalt guy than a dissector of individual aspects of a piece) as Joule- natural, organic, good at conveying emotion, slightly tubey and Modwright- very neutral, not at all tubey is right on target. I think the Modwright is a better "value" based on current used prices for pretty new units. Both builders are top notch people who serve their customers well. You really can not go wrong w either- its a matter of taste. But I also agree w Spencer, you do not want to build a system by compensating for weaknesses; rather look for complementary strengths.

Numbdiver, you do know that Mesa always recommended a passive pre for the Baron? A few Goners have raved about that combo (not enough gain from my phone pre for me to use one, unfortunately.) I agree with Spencer, and would not seek tubey coloration in a preamp. I have used an AR LS-15 with my Baron for a decade, somewhat in the same vein as the Modright, with good results. It is interesting that you are not satisfied with using the Baron full range, its bass is admired by many. What tubes are you using in it? If your Baron has the tri-tube mod, EL34 tubes are the way to go, and would probably give you all the "tubiness" you want, without seeking coloration in your pre, phono pre or digital player. Also, the tubes you use may be contributing to the issues you seek to solve; the original 5881's are suboptimal for music (they were chosen only for their reliability), and there are significant variations in the sound of EL34's (I prefer the Siemens available from Mesa in matched sets.)