Best preamp: Viola, Jadis, F.M. or Jeff Rowland ?

Clavi,
I could make you listen Viola Cadenza/Spirito and also,
all depends on where you live, I'm in France.
Viola is one of the best SS Electronics Musicality of time and reliability also manufacture a great value for resale.

Allot of amazing WORLD CLASS pre-amps mentioned above and still a few more names that need mention but that being said there really won't be any "BEST" just sonically different and the end result will be determined with the rest of the associated pces paired up with. I haven't heard every pre out there but the pre's mentioned above I have heard REF3, Jadis 80, Doshi, JR Criterion and my fav. over those is the VAC Sig. MK2a. So much that I'm now ordering the VAC Statement 450 mono's to be paired up it along with my MBL 101E's, main source TW-Acustic Raven AC3.

Experience Music Kahn LCR phono stage with mercury rectification and Slagle stepups;

http://jeffreywjackson.com/KahnLCR.htm

Experience Music DHT line stage with 71A tube;

http://jeffreywjackson.com/The_Line_Stage.htm (older pic -- new chassis similar to phono stage)

Where does First Sound fit in? I am considering buying a used one but have no way to listen first.

Dev,

I have heard VAC Renaissance MKIII with Phi 200 with Tidal Contriva all with NBS 0 cables ... a disastrous set-up ... I don't what was wrong but for sure it was definitively wrong !

I have heard that Alon Wolf from Magico is using VAC for testing, so it must be quite good ...

are you now using MBL electronic ?

I love the 101 ;-)