World's best Pre-amp for $10K and above?


Looking for the HOLY GRAIL in Audio? Here it is. I'm in my early sixties and retiring to my final system, which I was going to purchase during the past twelve months and decided to put on the brakes, and investigate whats out there as the most advanced engineered high end audio products for the money in the market place. As far as I'm concerned, the two top engineers in the world for the best Amp and Preamp at low prices are Bent Holter with Hegel Audio in Norway and Roger Sanders with Sanders Sound in Colorado. Why? The Hegel P-30 Pre-amp is a game changer, and will easily compete with Pre-amps at $30K and above. The FM Acoustics 268 Preamp that retails for $107K, uses a technology thats called "feedforward" instead of feedback.
Amps and Pre-amps since the early 80's have all used either global feedback, zero feedback or local feedback to filter out noise and lower distortion by sending and filtering the feedback current to filter capacitors or or an extra filter transformer. A small amount of voltage feedback occurs at the output stage in amps and preamps which goes back into the parts and boards causing noise and distortion which smears the quality of the music.The best Preamps in the world all have S/N noise ratios at 125 db's or above. The Hegel P-30 Preamp uses the same feedforward technology as FM Acoustics but is a more current design that Bent Holter calls "Sound Engine" patented technology that eliminates feedback which is why the P-30 Preamp has a S/N ratio of 132 db's, which has never been accomplished in high end audio with a Preamp costing $10K or below. The same applies to Roger Sanders Magtech amplifier which uses a patented linear voltage regulator that controls and regulates voltage with no excess voltage going back into the amp causing heat and distortion problems. The amp puts out 900 watts into 4ohms. Krell makes a pair of mono blocs that also use a similar voltage regulator. The amps are $100K a pair. HERES THE PERFECT SOLID STATE SYSTEM. A Hegel P-30 Preamp. A Sanders Magtech amp, A pair of Aerial Acoustics 7T speakers. The worlds finest SACD player, the Playback Designs MPS-5, designed by Andreas Koch, who invented SACD technology when he worked for Sony. He built the worlds first outboard DAC in 1982 and is legend in digital engineering. The MPS-5 is the most analog sounding player on the market which costs $17K. The Hegel P-30 is only $7500.00 and the Magtech amp is only $5K. The Aerials are $10K. Buy the solid core cables from Morrow Audio. They are low capacitance cables which matches up perfectly with these components. This combination sounds like the very best tube and solid state gear on the market. The whole system will cost about $42K but will sound as good as any system costing $200K. All of these products are game changers. If you want better looking cabinets and faceplates, then blow your money, but you will not get better performance for what this system has to offer. It is the HOLY GRAIL you are searching for and there is no better combination for the total cost of the system.
audiozen
So you don't own this stuff yet but are claiming it's the worlds best. There is no best. There is only what is best for you.

I hope all your choices work well together and make you happy. IMO you can't just throw together a system with random pieces and expect perfection. Of course you have to start somewhere but it usually takes time to find all the right parts and pieces to fit your room and taste. The best systems out there are systems that have evolved over many years.
There is absolutely a group of Preamps globally that are recognized as the best due to their designs and their ability to have extremely low noise and distortion levels that result in superior musical performance. As I already indicated, all these top Preamps have S/N ratio's over 125 db's. Companies such as Boulder, FM Acoustics, Solutions, and Sim Audio and Luxman have these numbers in common. Since these products are beyond reach for most due to their very high prices, then we have to settle for products we can afford that still perform well, but not on the same level as the top units that cost between $25K and over $100K such as the FM Acoustics 268. For Hegel to design an active Preamp using a feedforward design with a S/N of 132db's is a very rare achievement. You will not find an active Preamp anywhere with a S/N of 132dbs at $15K or below which is why the Hegel P-30 performs like a Tier 1 Preamp.
I have not heard the Hegel P-30 myself. That said having a S/N ratio north of 125 in itself does not mean I will enjoy its sound. It also does not mean that it will not be lacking in dynamics or some other parameter.

Have you listened to it yourself and compared it with the other preamps you have listed? If not it seems reckless to proclaim it their equal just based on one spec.
Audiozen,
You seem to be quite enamored with specifications. Some measurements are certainly meaningful but impressive S/N ratio is no predictor of superior sound(same with very low THD values). Just listen and decide.The preamps you cite are very exspensive and have stellar specs but for sure won`t sound 'best' to every listener.I hope the Hegel makes you happy.Just my own experience but some components that measure at best rather average have stunning natural realism and are very convincing and involving.Don`t get to caught up with numbers.
Regards,
If you have read my thread during the past two weeks I made it clear that I have heard it. It floored me. Over the years I had Pre-amps from Coda, BAT, Counterpoint, Musical Fidelity, Pass Labs, Carver and other brands. The Hegel is the best I've heard ever in its price range and equals Preamps I have listened to in the $20K to $30K price range. Bent Holter, the prodigy designer of this piece, has a degree in Micro Electronics with the emphasis on transistor engineering. The micro dynamics and imaging is remarkable. The soundstage is first row, yet it has an organic character that is relaxed, warm and lush with a deep 3D midrange. It sounds more like a tube Preamp with the slam of solid state. The one spec that is very relevant in Preamps is the S/N ratio. All the top Preamps, again, have a S/N of well over 125db's. Less noise equals lower distortion which results in less interference to the music signal and gets you closer to studio quality sound.