Recommendations please for good, affordable pre-amp for system?

For any who may be interested, I got this preamp via auction. It's at least a good start, and may serve me for a decent point into the future. I am still highly interested in the possibility of building a tube pre, particularly in light of the discussion as to the clarity/sharpness of both the Thiels and Brystons. (Bryston, btw, was the brand that the current Thiel people recommended when I contacted them. So, in all events, I think I have all the parts now, and we shall see.) I'm actually excited about getting this all plugged in now, particularly after reading an old review on Thiel last night.

I'm still curious for the thoughts on the Bottlehead, and that specific model and how it might rank relative to others. And for the thoughts on Direct end vs Balanced, as I now need to cable the whole thing. And on that count, what do you collectively think of Monoprice as a cable source? 7mm solid copper.

Donzi, Quicksilver makes a small tube pre-amp that is both relatively inexpensive (especially if you get one that isn't a remote control model) and of pretty good quality. And it might put some flesh on those bare bones sounds you will get out of your Bryston/Thiels units. At least that will give you some kind of an indication of what you system will sound like with a good pre-amp. And, after hearing that you can make upgrades to improve on it if necessary. And if you don't like it and think you can do better it should be easy to sell. FWIW I agree with jmcgrogan whose comments reflect my experience with the Thiels. Personally, in your place I would buy an Integrated Amp with good current and modest power (note my comments in a previous post about power requirements) and forgo all of the torture you will endure in trying to put together a competent system at this stage of your audio experience. Even if you were moderately experienced in audio and audio equipment I think you would find what you are doing as daunting and frustrating. 

I would also suggest that you do some reading about  Audio so you can better understand what is going on in selecting equipment, setting it up and evaluating what you have accomplished. I recommend Robert Harleys book, "The complete guide to high end audio". 

Good luck

Congrats! Enjoy your audio/video processor!

@donzi, you're all over the map here.  My best recommendation would be to establish a relationship with a local dealer and borrow a variety of equipment so you can listen to the differences for yourself and best figure out what you tend to prefer sonically.  I think this advise will save you a tremendous amount of time and money in the future.

That said, I think the Thiels are excellent speakers, but difficult for all but the more high-powered tube amps to drive well.  Those tube amps won't be available at the price point that you'd be looking at, so that leaves solid-state amplification.

If I were to recommend an integrated, I'd think the Plinius 8000 or 9000 series would be a good choice, but consider also Classe, Electrocompaniet, NAD master-series, Yamaha AS-2000, or one of the older Musical Fidelity integrateds, just to list a few.

Ultimately, though, audio preference is a personal thing, and you will likely find your own preferences will evolve over time.  So the more equipment you're able to listen to, the most informed you will be both in terms of the differences (or lack thereof sometimes) of the various electronics, but also what you tend to like sonically.

Good luck, and enjoy the journey!

Michael