How much do I need to spend to get a preamp that sounds better than no preamp?

Great post, Joe (Trelja). A pleasure to read an uncommonly nuanced, balanced, and well written post about controversial audio matters.

Regarding sonic differences between rectifiers of a given type, btw, I believe that what accounts for those differences in many and very possibly most cases is simply that their voltage drops vary significantly among different makes and vintages. Resulting in corresponding differences in the DC voltages that are applied to the audio stages.

Best regards,
-- Al

OP, funny, I just posted a similar discussion on AA. I have a Parasound P5, and was thinking time to upgrade, but my system is balanced throughout, and there's not much available under under $4K. Then I came across a W4S STP E on 10 Audio and started investigating and checking the used market. Then it dawned on me that after I did two aftermarket DIYs from ebaye replacing the oem iec wire harness with a Furutek Rhodium IEC with silver wire, THEN replacing the oem power supply with a beefy toroid board @  $118.00. I connected my 105 directly to my Emerald Physics 100.2SEs and was gobsmacked, BUT I think a big part of the smacking is because all are plugged into a Core Technologies 1800, an amazing passive PLC..  

you went off half-cocked, and initiated a thread on Stereophile no longer performing measurements even though it was completely incorrect.

Are you serious!!! (is this because I asked if you were a fuser.) that’s not even worth a response, but I will, as I asked a legitimate question as John Atkinson’s response shows??? And the measurements/test were not done with two reviews.
I simply asked "Tests???????"
https://www.stereophile.com/comment/574783#comment-574783


JA Quote: "It wasn’t possible for Larry Greenhill, who now lives in California, to ship this amplifier to New York in time for me to measure it.

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile


Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/mark-levinson-no534-power-amplifier#Ibp132Sl19pHjucP.99

Cheers George

@trelja 
Clearly the answer is no, he is not man enough.

Ben,
Thank you for posting you inquiry.
It's not a matter of money.
More money won't necessarily buy you better sound. More often
than not, higher cost doesn't add to the sound quality, but more
to the looks of the thing.

Spending more may buy you a lot of decorative nonsense that doesn't
contribute one ounce of quality to the sound.  I possibly have breadboards
that may sound better than many of the chrome plated, glass enclosed, polished aluminum, powder coated concoctions that are sold daily as high end audio.
None of those add on decorations alter the sound in a positive way.  It's just fluff.

The cake taker, prize winning gullible buyer award, for absurdity goes to the claim that replacing the POWER CORD on a turntable with a $1500.00 power cord improved the sound. BS.  It definitely improved the financial position of the seller, but I have REAL SERIOUS DOUBTS that a power cord can make the highs crisper or the bass cleaner.
Defies physics.

The quality of a sound is the result of supplying a acoustical experience to ones ears that is more pleasing than other experiences that the person has experienced.  It may be different for each individual, however, MOST people, (possessing good hearing facility) will agree on a certain set of characteristics of an aural experience as being "quality".  

It is a matter of what you buy, and how it is designed. Not the amount of polished aluminum that it is included in the illusion.

What state and city are you in?
I would love to have your ears in my room for an hour if by shear dumb luck you are near me in Southern California.