First tube preamp recommendations (under $5k)

Thanks, I love my dogs too… and my system in that order.

@mirage-71 Which EVO model do you have and what other tube preamps did you compare to ?

@mulveling Thanks man. I think it was between the Ren V and this older ARC and I thought about your comparisons and what you said about this. I think maybe I would have loved the VAC sound but pricing wise it didn't work out since it has a phono board that i would never use and didn't make sense to pay for. I have heard lots of good things about 5SE so hopefully will be great.
@ghdprentice  :D

I do hope the ARC will sound richer and more musical than my AGD HE9 SS preamp. :)

ARC equipment is very accurate with an excellent midrange through bass (think non-colored warmth), but is not artificially warm. So it will sound detailed but not hard and cold. It also has outstanding rhythm and pace… musicalness. Rythm and pace is hard to put your finger on, but can be one of the most important attributes of a system… making you unconsciously tap your foot. It is what conveys the emotional content. ARC / tube equipment generally do a better job of this than most solid state equipment.

It couples exceptionally well with a Pass 350… which I used for well over a decade. If the ARC preamp doesn’t have quiet enough warmth for you, then make your next swap the Pass for an ARC amp… the more ARC the more better… when the whole chain is ARC it is incredibly magical.