Budget Tube Preamp ($2000)


Hello guys,
First post here!

I am in the market for a tube preamplifier for my current system, to add a bit of warmth. My budget is under $2000, the cheaper the better, Mainly looking at the used market (I love great deals). 
My build currently:
- Monitor Audio Silver 300 speakers
- Project Debut Carbon Turntable
- Marantz Cd5005 CD player
- Cambridge Audio Azur 851N
- Rotel RB 1582 Mkii Power Amp

If you guys have suggestions, I appreciate it a lot! For the inputs, if the preamp has XLR that would be great as I'm currently running my Azur 851N to my amp through a balanced connection and it sounds pretty good. This is not completely necessary though. 

Thanks!


128x128saltboy

A pre-amp should not add anything, warmth or "coldness". And the very good tube (and solid state) pre-amps don’t. If your system lacks warmth (whatever that means to you), better to address the source of that shortcoming. Complimentary colorations is a tricky business!

People choose tube pre-amps for what the good ones DON’T add to the sound of recordings ("etching", grain, brightness, etc.), and for what they reproduce that some solid state pre’s don’t (the organic timbre and texture of acoustic instruments and voices, depth-of-field, a "relaxed" presentation of music).

A very good pre-amp does not reveal it’s means of amplification (tubes, FET’s, transistors), only the sound of the recordings passing through it. That’s the basic and fundamental tenet of High Fidelity Music Reproduction.

I absolutely love my BAT (Balanced Audio Technology) VK-5i balanced XLR tube preamp and there happens to be one for sale for exactly $2,000 on Audiogon right now. The build quality is second to none with BAT. Victor’s designs are legendary. I highly recommend checking it out.
Are you looking to add some warmth to your system or to your listening room? A good tube preamp will give you more depth, but warmth? I don't think so.