Who makes great active preamps ? Tube or solid state or hybrid.

If the Saga sounds this good, I can’t imagine what the Freya sounds like.  I really can’t say how the Schiit Audio pre’s compare with the high end, but I can say that the Saga easily bests my mid-fi Parasound P-5, and costs 1/3 the price.

More top end detail, lower noise floor and a soundstage that is immersive.  I do have excellent speakers, Totem Hawks, and solid core based cabling from Audioquest, but I’ve simply never had it this good.

Given my passion in tube based Preamps, I've observed we get consistently good reports by respected contributors here that Ear, Shindo, Allnic, Backert, Vac, VTL, Aethetix, Hovland, and ARC are terrific choices. 

Personally I’ve got a soft spot for 6SN7 based Preamps because the relative abundance of good tubes with a wide sonic palate that offer great tube rolling possibility for system tuning -  names like like deHavilland, Atmo-Sphere, Wyeteck, Supratek, MFA Lumi, ASL Flora, Sachs and TRL Dude come to mind. I find there is a little more meat on the bones on these octal tubes. Tung Sol, RCA, and Sylvania are solid choices.

By reputation they should be great music makers and can be had used for <10k all the way down to 1.5k. As usually it about synergy and the listeners own listening priorities.

(I am in humanely affordable range only.... in no specific order)

HOT: Shindo, Lamm (except LL2), Jadis (except the entry level ones), Viva Audio, Wavac (except MD-811), Allnic (L-3000 and above), VAC (Statement), Boulder, Sonic Frontiers (Line 3 SE only), top model McIntosh (tube ones), Burmester (except the Rondo / Concerto line)

NOT: BAT (Solid State ones), VAC (mid-level or below), VTL, Manley, Mark Levinson, ModWright, Counterpoint (including the NP), any entry to mid level CJ and ARC (regardless of tube or SS), Audio Note (entry to mid level)

Aires-Cerat Imperia LE. Destroys Audio Note and Kondo and Koda(any model).