Quicksilver Preamps?

Search the discussions. Plenty of mention.
Are they competitive?-Yes; Truly high end?-No, just a great value.
" they're extremely minimalist"-not to be judged by this, you`ll need to listen to one, in your system.

They drive the tubes so they last about a year before microphonics and what not starts.

id like to add to the OP’s inquiry from Previous  owners and what they moved up to.

I started with Audible Illusions 2B ——> original Quicksilver Full Function preamp (better bass and dynamics) ——> Jadis JPL (bigger sound stage and more colorful) ——> Audible Illusions 3A (truer timber—I am apparently sensitive to this—not quite the bass or dynamics of the Quicksilver but really good; more realistic than the Jadis). Downside is too much gain. If I were in the market today, I would look at Supratek, Benchmark, and CODA.

Forgot to add—I went from Quicksilver 8417 amps to Silver 90s. Wish I had picked up a 190, 6C33C, and 120 monos—I obviously love Quicksilver amplifiers. They will drive anything within their power rating, seemingly immune to low impedance loudspeakers.