Best tube pre-amp below US $ 10.000,00 ?

BRIAN, how would you describe the differences between Hovland and CAT ?

Wc65mustang: would you say that the Grange is in the same league as the Hovland, the Ayre, the Aesthetix or the CAT ?
Is there a big difference between the Supratek Cortese and the Grange?

Frankpiet I sure it's in the same "league" but I've never heard any of them in a direct A/B comparison with my gear which in the ONLY way to know; the bottom line is, it depends on what YOU like. Don't be concerned with reviews and retailers where agendas abound. I've owned ARC, CJ, Dayton Wright, Pass, Harmon Kardon, Dynaco, and Aesthetix preamps over the last 40 years. The Grange is my favorite and more than likely my last preamp.
With regards to Grange/Cortese, again I've never heard an A/B comparison. However there are quite a few Cortese owners here on Audiogon with sophisticated systems who love it. IMO (and this may start a ruckus here) it's difficult to purchase more for your money when you buy a Supratek. There is no retail intermediary adding 40%-50% to the purchase price. Lastly, there are very few used Suprateks on Audiogon. Why? Owners tend to keep them. If you happen to see one posted it generally sells very quickly.
ALL OF THE ABOVE IMO

I went from a CAT Mk. III with phono (not Ultimate, of which I understand there are two iterations higher on the food chain than the Mk. III) to a Hovland line stage. In my system, and comparing only the line stages, the Hovland was clearly better, but again, it was not being compared to the best CAT preamp. The CAT was by no means a slouch and had a very good on-board phono stage. I only sold the CAT because it had way too much gain partnered with sensitive amps -- it drove my VAC tube amps to super-loud levels at only 9 O'Clock on the volume control.

Incidentally, the Hovland has unshielded outputs and can be noisy.

Either new or used, there are a lot of very good tube preamps for $10k or under. I would focus on something with a low output impedence that can drive any interconnects and amps (e.g., be careful of the otherwise very fine c-j ART and 16 in this regard) and with a reputation for build quality (e.g., VAC, CAT, BAT).

Also, and this anticipates your next thread, the very best solid-state preamps can layer sound and have a great midrange like good tube preamps, plus, they are almost always quieter, which can be extremely important in a revealing system. After years of playing this game, I settled on a top-shelf solid-state preamp (Rowland Coherence II). The top Lamm preamp and the preamp in the DCC2 are two more solid-state preamps (there are others) that are first-rate and within your budget.

Raquel.Would you consider marriage,to me, at a future point?I would not be able to give you a large gemstone,though,as I'd need the cash for the "Hobby"!!

PS--I've got great ears,and am considered to be a great set-up man!Credentials should,obviously, be considered!!!

Speedy Gonzales: Sorry, but "Raquel" is my wife's name. I was trying to place a bid on a cartridge about five years ago and couldn't remember or find my password for my then-user name. My wife was standing beside me, and, the clock on the auction down to a few minutes and lacking a better idea, we did a new user name using her name. I got the cartridge, and now I get marriage proposals from A-Goners. Sorry to disappoint.