Tube Preamp

Quicksilver Line Stage, no frills.... but no remote.  Excellent tube pre with HT bypass for  $1050

I just installed a Schiit Loki EQ device that sells for only 149 from the Schiit website.  It has four knobs that have a decent click at dead center and are turned left or right to influence the EQ.  Each of the four knobs controls a different EQ range, rather than just the old “bass/treble”.  It is passive, and has a bypass switch to take it off line if desired.  It gets VERY HIGH reviews by users as not molesting the quality of the signal.  I can not determine any negative impacts to soundstage or quality of sound.  Each knob adjust at a very slight EQ level for the first portion of the turn, then gets more aggressive as you turn it more, allowing for very fine tuning.  You simply install in the signal path between your pre and power amp.  This is not the old EQ design, it has the mastery of the latest technology that Schiit has become well known for, at a very good price.  I too have a tube pre-amp, but with no EQ controls, I previously did not like any of this in my system.  Im 65 yrs old and have been running tube equipment since I was 15.  This is the first EQ i have allowed into my system, usually run everthing flat and straight.  Its that good to my ears, and saves me a little money by not always rolling tubes to get the sound I am looking for.  I now get to adjust it for every source and quality of EQ recordings to my taste.  I usually don’t influence it much, but just enough to fine tune each source or specific music.  Read the reviews on the Schiit website or on-line idependant reviews.  Don’t like it?  Send it back.  But I don’t think you will, its that good.

Getting sidetracked from the preamp recommendation, but;
@newf27, I see the Loki is powered by a SMPS wall-wart. Do you think adding a LPS would improve SQ; eg, a lower noise-floor, improved dynamics, soundstage and imaging?
Wall-warts are typically a weak link.

I am using a Jolida Fusion Preamp. All tube design, HT bypass, XLR and RCA outputs, $1350 new. Good people to work with. Check out the website for consideration.

Try the Schiit Freya 6SN7 preamp. $699 with 15 day return option and 5 year warranty. VERY flexible having passive, JFET-buffered and tube gain outputs. It is a balanced design that accommodates balanced and singled ended inputs and provides balanced and single ended outputs as well. A couple of the as supplied NOS Russian 6SN7 tubes were microphonic. Schiit quickly replaced them. With well-screened tubes it is completely quiet in all output modes. I’ve had one for going on 2 years now and use it very satisfactorily with three different amps (Taranis, Hegel, First Watt F7). The sound is excellent (detailed yet relaxed) and clearly reveals differences in program material, tubes, cabling and amps. I feel no need to spend more in search of better.

http://www.schiit.com/products/freya