Line Stage Preamps that blew you away $2500 Edition

@mitch2  thanks. To your ears does the Hattie achieve that “band/artist in your room” sense of presence? Do you feel the sound has adequate weight and dimension?

Rogue Audio RH-5 Tube Linestage / Headphone Amp.  $2.5K list. 

Stereophile Class A

Balanced design - the pricier RP-5 is not balanced. 

Adjustable gain. 

Superb headphone amp. 

2X 12AU7 tubes.

Clear, refined, open detailed with outstanding dynamics and sound stage.  

@fuzztone "Used Sanders line stage." Do you mean Mike Sanders' Quicksilver products?

Unfortunately I think there are a lot of systems out there where the preamp is the bottleneck....  that said there are great speakers that aren’t realizing their full potential, sold off for the latest and greatest.... it’s a vicious circle 

@oddiofyl  100% agree and I feel like that’s where I’m at. I like my line stage but it’s the only piece that hasn’t “wow’d me” from its install. I feel like a great line stage for the money is where I can make that leap.