Best solid state pre-amp below US $ 10.000,00 ??

Frank - I know what you mean about the Nagra, but i think its simply more 'neutral', not imparting much bloom, so if your ear, system, power system, room etc, need a some warmth, the Nagra is not the one. I think the 6922's, power cord and line conditioning are key on that puppy....

I also understand ow much of our choices are serendipitous. I never ever, ever even thought about Nagra, but a local dealer insisted I audition his demo (read good price) ince i told him i mostly cared about transparency and neutrality, and the rest is history. Who knows, if there had been a local VAC dealer, i might be raving about its presence, decay and what not...

Artg: the only real contender is the new Brinkmann Marconi -but it´s unfortunately a line stage only. Audible superior to the Nagra/ Brinkmann is the Boulder 1010 - but at an out-of-range price-point - at least in Germany.

Next week I´ll be able to audition the Marconi for two days in my system together with a PL-L. As I´m now used to the CAT and PL-P sound I´m looking foreward to hear that comparison. At my dealer both units were on paar and superior to the CAT.
Still can´t get hold of any Aesthetix Saturn stuff in Germany.

be sure to reports back on that comparison, and have fun!

Thanks Bhouser, I am sold on VAC Ren 2. All the grace of tubes without any of the tuby artifacts. Ren 2 seems also to be a differential balanced design, which for me is an advantage as I am planning to get an Esoteric X-01. Conversely, I just noticed on the NAGRA site that the NAGRA PL-l is a single ended design, and the PL-l's XLR connectors link to an 'unbalanced' circuit.

Hi All,
You should consider the ARC REF3. I've had the CTC Blowtorch and have the EMM Labs Switchman, both extremely well-regarded SS pre's. I am delighted with the ARC. Excellent imaging, midrange, etc.Much less edgy than the Switchman, and sounds pretty close to the Blowtorch, although I think that it's less fatiguing.

David Shapiro