best preamp ever - cost is no object

>>assessing talent in tennis is as subjective as assessing the merits of components and stereo systems<<

Really? I KNOW that Anna Kournikova is not as good a tennis player as Martina Navratilova because I KNOW that Anna has won no grand slam titles and I KNOW that Martina has won 59 (singles, doubles, mixed doubles) grand slam titles. That is not subjective.

The same can be said for audio components if you KNOW enough about them.

You should try it.

Me neither..

I dont know what is the best preamp but here is what I currenly have: Cary SPl05, ConradJohnson CT5, Audio Research Reference 3. My favorite is Reference 3 with other factors being held constant. If you're in the Twin Cities area, give me a call for a listen and draw your own conclusions.

VIOLA CADENZA stop the search..

Did a lot of comparison in the meantime: to my ears the two best solid state pre-ams are FM Acoustics 268 Mk II and Boulder 2010. The best tube pre I´ve encountered so far is Ayon Audio Spheris - magic !!