Preamp suggestions for a McCormack DNA-125?

I had the DNA-125 paired with an Audible Illusions L-1, nice combo. The added feature of having adjustable gain on the pre was nice. $500 or $600 used.

I also demo'd the Eastern Electric Minimax with my McCormack, an excellent pre which is probably more in line with the requirement "nice detail yet with meat on the bones".

Brand new it is around your price.

Regards,

I had great success pairing my McCormack DNA 0.5 with an ARC LS-7 (then when $ were available, upgraded to a Supratek Syrah).

RE "Just picked one up to try out": No matter what the pre, I've found it's important to leave this amp continuously powered-on for best sound, so I recommend giving at least 48 hours warm-up before passing final judgement or when auditioning complementary gear.

The McCormack's work really well with both passive and tubed preamps... though the flavor is different with each.

Very clean with the passive, but lacking that bit of dynamics that an active stage brings to the table.

Tubed units are a mixed bag. Sometimes you can find one that is transparent, and then get some tube bloom for enhanced soundstaging. Other times you will be sadly disappointed that they just can't compare in terms of clarity to a passive pre. But the dynamics should be better and the soundstaging and tonality more "tube-like".

No perfect answer, unless you come across a really transparent tube line stage. I've been using an Audio Prism Mantissa for many years and it is very transparent but also very hard to find used (you may find it as a Red Rose, since ML bought Audio Prism's electronics group to form Red Rose).

Enjoy,
Bob