Tube Pre-Amp Recommendation


Im new to this forum but have spent few months reading into posts. The more i read the more i get confused on my first purchase of a Good quality Tube Pre-amp. At this very moment I have always used Solid states pre-amp but after hearing the Audio Research Arc Ref 5 and 3 I am on the upgrade bug. Considering these units cost allot of money I need some suggestion if there are other Tube Pre-Amp which can either match similar levels to the Arc Ref 5 or better it.

I am not bothered about name brands or looks of the unit rather on how it presents the music to me.
I have not own a Tube Gear before in my life, and not sure on how to go about it. BTW I am in Indonesia (A British Expat Working and Living Here)

Demoing unit is out of the question here, even buying a unit here is so much more expensive then back at home In the UK. I prefer to Buy from USA (Will use a Power converter if needed)

My Current Setup is:
Speakers: Philharmonics 3
Amplifier: Audio GD Master 2 Series Mono Blocks (Will Upgrade Later to Krell, Macintosh or Pass)
CD player: Oppo 95 Using on Board DAC for the time being. Looking to upgrade later on for DAC
Room: Heavily treated, with Foam, Acoustic Panels, Bass Traps in all 4 Corners.

Budget less than 6000 Dollars.

Need Performance Level Matching that of Arc Ref 5Se or better.

Need suggestion and opinion on how to go about this. I prefer fasting sound more to neutral. Slight warm but not too much. I did find Cary SLP05 Pretty Warm, however on Ebay it slipped my fingers otherwise I was going to pull the trigger on that. I will being pairing this with Solid State Amplifier don’t want to get into Power Amps using Tubes for the next few years at least.

Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks Guys
dragon_vibe
I just got a second hand Dude with remote, It beats my Modwright LS100.
Grannyring,
I know you replaced the output Cap with Duelund CAST-PIO,
what value did you use?
Is the White Cap under the 6SN7 output tube?
I looked at the Coincident before the Dude but it's not remote and after emailing him it was clear that he's not someone I'd want to do business with anyway.
Teeteebid. The CAST will raise the performance in ways you don't think are possible. Congrats on your purchase. Please tell me the amp you are using and the input impedance of that amp. The coupling cap I used was .47uf and they are on sale at Parts Connextion. That value or .22uf works great with most amps and especially tube amps with input impedances of 100k ohms.

Feel free to email me and I can help you through the update. Not sure how experienced you are with soldering and this sort of thing.
Teeteebid, in what respects does the Dude beat the LS100; interested as I have the latter?
Dragon_vibe, why don't you just leave The Dude alone, like you said you were going to do? Smaller manufacturers, like TRL, are not for everyone. If you want something with lots of information and formal reviews, then you will need to pay for that marketing campaign. It sounds like you want an Audio Research preamp. So just go and get one already.

I've been in this "game" a long time, and as with any decision in life, there are +'s and -'s to any decision. You say you want to spend less than $6000, but want something equal or better than a ARC Ref 5SE. Since you cannot even buy a used Ref 5SE for $6000, that leaves you only with the choice of a small, boutiques type manufacturer, where your money is invested in the product and not in marketing.

Generally, boutique brands that I've heard or owned do offer more bang for the buck. However, you usually will not find them at discount on the used market, and they tend to drain you if you decide to change direction and sell. You should only buy if you intend to keep it for quite a while, IMHO.

Again, I have never heard The Dude, so I cannot say anything about it. However, it sounds as if you had a falling out with the manufacturer, and said you were going to leave them off your list. I suggest that you follow up on your promise, and move on.