Preamps with Berning ZH570

thanks for the tip! I'll keep my eye open for these....

Art,
I've been happily using the CAT SL1-MkIII with my Berning. It replaced a Joule Electra LA150. They are both very good, but I have a preference for the CAT. The dynamic jump is goosebump inducing. The CAT is dead quiet, and the phono section is better than most of the separate phono stages I've heard. The LA150 has a liquid, lush quality to it, that is very engaging. They both complement the Berning nicely.
While I haven't heard the First Sound, it comes highly recommended. One ergonomic issue for me is the separate L+R volume controls; I must admit this is a pet peeve of mine. The Supratek Chenin($2900) is a giant-killer as far I can tell so far, but I've only heard once this month, and that was in a friends' system. From a price perspective the Cortese(~$5k) is closer to the others mentioned here.
Although I was disappointed in what I heard from the LL2, it was in a very different system, and wouldn't judge much from that. I'm also curious to hear from folks who've successfully used the LL2 with non-Lamm amps. Cheers,
Spencer

thanks Spencer. i ended up buying a First Sound preamp, new. I'll post again once I get it all connected. All the other preamps mentioned here and in other threads would have undoubtably also been strong candidates, but their availability is limited, and nobody beats Emmanuel Go for service, should it become necessary.

Still waiting to hear if anyone ever tried the Lamm + Berning....