VTL, CTC, Lamm, ARC, EAR, Halcro, Mark Levison

Dear all,
here is a sum up of the main ideas :

* L2 Lamm Ref, a bit dark souding but goes well with the ML2.1. obviously
* ARC Ref 3 still seems to be close to what I'm looking for, according to oneobgyn, who owns one and has such a great system
* CJ ART2 and Calysto deserve to be considered, even if they might be the most "tuby" preamp
* Halcro 10 and Mark Levinson don't get many positive feedback
* CTC blowtorch are sadly not done any more
* VTL7.5 is a classic but I have to admit I don't know how it sounds.

now new possibilities :
* The Dart Zeel preamp, which is probably going to follow the same succesfull path than the amp (according toe Mike, who knows what is talking about) and is made in Geneva (quite "close" to Paris)
By the way mike, I'll be delighted to listen to your friend's system when he tries the DarTzeel Preamp
* MBL and Boulder (but not Burmeister?) are at the top of the range as well.
...audio design ?

no opinion on Lyra connoisseur 5.0 or 4.2 line...or Wavac ..

well the list just got bigger...

I will keep you posted.

Thank you

David,

One last minor pint of clarification. Your ears and preferences will be the final judge. BUT, I should point out that I had your same preconceived notion of the the C-J preamps as "tubey." When I got the ART-II in for audition I fully expected it to be too "tubey" and that I would not like it when matched to my Lamms and Exquisites. I could not have been more wrong. The older C-J preamps like the PV-10 et al, may indeed be warm and lush and "tubey" sounding, but the ART was nothing like this. Yes, it has the harmonic richness and, in my opinion, more natural timbre and bloom that tubes can give, but it certainly wasn't dark, rolled off, syrupy or too "tubey."

So, if I were you, I wouldn't go into my search thinking the way I did and that it will be too "tubey."

I hope this helps - good luck and I hope you find a great match for your incredible system!!

I have the Lamm L2 preamp with Lamm ML1's and as you would expect this combination is very synergistic. This preamp provides lots of detail and dynamics but conveys it in a very musical way. Even though the output is solid state it does not sound like a solid state preamp to me.

I would suggest giving BAT Vk31se and above, Musical Fidelity kW, McIntosh C2200, Aesthetix, Atmasphere, Pass Labs, or ?? Any of these should fill the ticket "nicely". VTL 7.5 would be nice also.

What a fun position to be in. Happy Holidays

Dear all,
being on Audiogon, I'm obviously searching for a bargain
I've seen CJ ARTII and VTL7.5 on sale right now...must be an ARC Ref3 around as well..
What would you do !!?
Thx