What is the best tube pre-amp for my system

"Before I commit to the Ayon, I would like to hear from anyone with practical knowledge of really good tube Pre-amps"

Anyone who knows what they are talking about should give you the same answer. And that is, buying any type of high end preamp, tube or otherwise, without doing a very thorough demo, is extremely foolish. I know that's not what you want to hear, but that's the truth. Not to worry, though. You'll still get plenty of recommendations on specific preamps.

Snooker,

I really like the Ayon family sound and the Spheris is the preamp in my dream system (the amp is the Ayon Titan mono blocks). Still, auditioning the Spheris with your Pass x350.8 amps would certainly seem prudent.

I read the specifications for the Spheris and it listed an output impedance of 30 Ohms. The single ended/balanced impedance of the X350.8 was given as 50/100 kOhms. From what I've read related to rules of thumb for preamp/amp matching, it seems like that should be a good ratio, but I would defer to more learned members of this forum, or better yet I would call Pass Labs to discuss.

On another note, should you ever decide to move from the CD-5 to a media player, I highly recommend the Ayon S-5.

Thank you Reynolds. Perhaps I will look at the S-5 in the near future. I will
call Pass tomorrow. I also wondered about that. I will have 15 days to audition the Spheris, which is a good thing.....

If you buy used you get to try in your room with your system. If you don't like it you can sell used and get your money back. It's the only way short of a thirty day dealer demo.

A sound recommendation. But I have yet to find a used one on the market....