best transparent pre amp

We have a customer that did exactly the same thing by replacing his Ref 3 with our UV-1 preamp (line stage only version) and he said exactly the same thing. It gave him some pause as the UV-1 line stage costs about the same as the Tortuga; I think he sold the Ref 3 used for more than he paid for the UV-1.

If you are looking for transparency above all else, then a Passive seems the best route. I tried out a number in a mini shoot out and was surprised how different they were. I was expecting more variation in Active Pre's, with, by definition more components.

The absolute standout was the Music First Audio Baby reference. To me, it was as good as, but very different, to an ARC Ref 5SE. Yes, no question though, you trade transparency and neutrality, for some macro dynamics and base grip. If transparency is your key requirement, I would say a passive is the way to go, with the proviso that you try it in your system first. Modern sources seem to have very high output voltage, particularly digital, but for vinyl with long cable runs, you might run out of steam.

Actually the idea that a passive is more transparent is a matter of dispute.

You have to keep in mind that a well-designed and built active will have distortion that is a tiny fraction of what it is in a power amplifier!

A passive has no distortion but is extremely prone to artifacts from the interconnect cables. This is unavoidable: it is purely a math issue and has nothing to do with the quality of the control. Anyone using a passive control knows how important it is to select the right cables for their system and to keep the cables short.

A good line stage can control the cables so well that they become moot insofar as the system sounds.

The bottom line has to do with budget and audition. If it works for you that is what is important.

Wyred 4 Sound STP SE, have one for sale

$60K for a passive pre-amp???? Must be a joke or drug-induced hallucination :-)