Tube Preamplifier Time

You have great choices at that price range. First Sound Presence DLX, BAT VK30, CAT, Joule, Supratek (mid price model used, Cabernet maybe). I prefered the First Sound or the Joule, but they are all outstanding. All very well respected, with good service (although Supratek is in Australia, they have made noises about setting up a US service station).

Thank you everyone for your reccomendation of a preamplifier to try out with my setup. Now the good news is that I live in nyc and can somewhat search these models out for listening sessions.

Enjoy the music! Chris

Liked the sound of VTL's 5.5 preamp during an in store demo and went out and bought my first piece of used gear from the site here. The first thing that entered my mind once playing the first cd inserted was, Oh man this is going to become a habit were I dont want it to! In that it drastically changed the overall sound of the system from what the marantz ss AV-550 pre I'd always owned and used since purchasing my first piece of hi-end equipment which is the Krell amp I've had for 7yrs. I guess the best way to describe the additional enjoyment the new preamp brings is that Bass had always just been a thump or tap to my ears whereas it's now felt with weight, texture and authority. Brass and violins have certainly been tamed down a bit and have a seamlessness layered feel from the high pitched noises that the marantz produced. So far and it's only been about 3hrs. of listening I find my self looking for details and clarity that were easier heard on the Marantz. The sound now has a warmth and instruments appear rounded off in detail where I'm struggling to hear everything on the recording. Maybe this is a low in trade for the strong points of tube technology. Perhaps I should play at louder levels? I think that their might be an impedence issue as one of the gentlemen over at VTL said the 5.5 would better match with my Krell amp. I havent changed the tubes or even checked to see if the units biased properlly which could be the reason for what I'm hearing but I doubt it. Just need to get used to this new sound which I feel really does bring me much nearer to a live music performance Chris

Chris,
I used to own a VTL 5.5. I don't think there is a need to bias the unit. Certainly, impedance matching with the amplifier is an important consideration. I replaced my VTL 5.5 with an Audio Horizons TP 2.0nB because, apparently like you, I wanted the sound of tubes but also a sound that is well articulated and detailed.
At this time, I think there are better preamplifier choices for low wattage SET amps. That said, my TP preamp matches beautifully with my VTL MB 185s. Other users have reported similar results with other amplifiers (both tube and solid state). You may want to experiment by using the Audio Horizons free trial period. The Audio Horizons preamp can be purchased new for under $3K.

Velocityofhue,
If I read your post correctly it sounds like you auditioned a VTL 5.5 at a dealer and then bought one on Audiogon. That's a pretty big no-no ethically speaking. If a dealer is spending the time and effort to set up demos for you he should be rewarded for his services. Otherwise you're just wasting his valuable time. If I somehow mis-understood you and this isn't what happened please accept my apologies. And whatever the case may be I still hope that you enjoy your new preamp.