So damn hard deciding which tube preamp to buy!


So you have $10 to $25k. What do u do??? So many names.  Cant test them cause no one nearby stocks them, and not broken in.  

What does one do??
emergingsoul
If you list your components and what’s in your system, this site can can help you better.
I agree. It is hard. What I did, was to start from my general experience of preamps and amps. Products I know. Do I like tubes better than solid state? Yes. Do I like OTL? Yes. Should it be truly balanced? Yes. And so on. Plus, a good match both with the amp(s) and the source components, especially the phono stage, in my system.
buy this ancient beauty

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224555999898?mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&campid=533...

ship to you, use it

or

have seller ship it directly to Audio Classics, let them check everything, and change all the RCA jacks to new gold plated ones. 

fabulous sounding FM tuner, and MM Phono 1 and 2.

Plug it into an Integrated with remote volume!
That's very nice Elliott, but he's apparently looking to breathe rarer air.