Tube Preamps.....


I am running 2 GFA 565 Musical Comcepts modded Amps with Vandersteen 2ce v2. I am looking for a good quality tube preamp. With or without a built in dac. Should I stick with shopping for a used Mac? Or should I look at others also. Suggestions? Like to keep it under $3000. Could stretch to 3500. Thanks for your input. 
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I highly recommend Don Sach's 6SN7-based tube preamp.  It betters any preamp I have had in my system and I have a boatload of them.  Don sells the preamp directly so they are an extremely fine value.  There are lots of review of the preamp on this and other forums.  
Research Rogue Audio.  The RP-1 is $1.5K and the RP-5 is $3.5k .  I really like my RP-1 and the folks at Rogue have been really confidence inspiring on the phone. Only issue is no Balanced out until you get up to the RP-7.


This is a gorgeous sounding preamp in the listings $500 under your budget....

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis8fg1h-synthesis-art-in-music-ecstasy-line-level-tube-pre-amp-tu...

No affiliation with the seller but my local dealer Deja Vu Audio is the US importer for Synthesis so I've heard their gear many times. Very transparent organic warm and musical and being Italian very stylish looking.
Hi jond, When the preamp heats up, does it smell like a pepperoni pizza? Joe