best preamp ever - cost is no object

Ralph,
There is a "High-End" faction of the pro-audio world there as well; which does use tubes and the highest quality part selections. This faction of products are quiet expensive as you can imagine.

What I meant by studio gear going further than high-end gear is NOT in parts/build quality but in function.

The top mastering houses like Sterling Sound in NYC, Bob Katz's Studio and Ludwig's Gateway Mastering Studios among others do not only make use of these high-end studio gear but high-end audiophile gear as well. If you look at the pictures of my room and the gear in it on my system's page here on Audiogon you'll see that I have also have been able to merge the two factions together with great success.

The realm that I have been exploiting lately includes ambient space recreation and panorama control; my system now incorporates these capabilities along with making use of other mastering techniques.

One thing that is good about the AudioAsylum site is that there can be no thread highjacking. The threads are gone too fast.

Norm,
The original thread was started on 3-14-06, if Aspera has not purchased or at least tried a number of the recommended candidates by now then he's obviously not using his system enough.

To answer the original question:

Passive: Any high quality TVC (Transformer Volume Control). Since the original post asked ever = the ultimate expression of this design the Seamless Interface Electro-Acoustique's Big-Dog (My own design and NO LONGER AVAILABLE....not even for a cold $25K!)

Solid-State: Technik Avant Garde Model One Ultimate version (If you can find one)

Tube: Tempo Electric 1.1 with Dual outboard power supplies or any Authur Loesch design. My favorite is the one based on the awesome 6C45Pi high gain super-tube.

This thread is no longer high-jacked but has been set free to fly again!

Carlos,

I have even posted an inquiry about the Tempo. Recently, I received another email from them saying that the first production units would be available in Sept. It sounds like you must have experience with the early prototype units. I once had the Loesch solid state TAG preamp. It was very good but hard to use as digital was too loud at the lowest levels on the volume control and vinyl required nearly full gain. I believe the guy who bought it still has it and loves it.

I suspect since you mention the 6C45Pi tube that you must know there are difference among Soviet era tubes. I have many 6N1Ps that sound quite different. I no longer use the tube preamp that used them, but hey I retain the better than 1000 tubes I have as a good investment.

I don't remember your coming on so strongly in our earlier conversations, but I really did think your passive Big Dog was the best passive unit I had tried.

At last, civility returns to the 'gon.

My phono stage is a custom unit from Experience Music that uses a step up xformer and 2 stages of 6C45 with an LCR RIAA in between. quite nice.