Looking for a preamp with XLR connections

Mola Mola Makua. Upper end of your range. End game component. Maybe find one pre-owned. There was one here on agon that got snapped up. Pretty much as good as it gets without requiring a second mortgage to obtain.

The person that started this thread said "no tubes". Why all the suggestions of tube preamps??

A friend, whose ears I trust, auditioned the benchmark against multiple other preamplifiers and said that while it is quiet, it is flat and boring and without color. So be warned! I found that to be true with their amplifier as well, which I had in my system and compared to other amps, including Ayre V5xe and pass XA25. The good thing about benchmark is that you can audition it for 30 or 60 days, depending on where you purchase.  If you get it, let us know what you think.

@peter_s That is true and sometimes I like that boring base system and only want to hear the source material through that base. The following is the design goal of the Benchmark products. They say this explicit on their web site's APPLICATION NOTES section.

benchmark against multiple other preamplifiers and said that while it is quiet, it is flat and boring and without color.

At the moment, my Benchmark LA4 preamp is connected to a warm KRELL Duo 175XD amp and a warmish Mustec 005 DAC.

My AHB2 monos are connected to a warmish CODA 07x preamp and a warmish Musetec 005 DAC.

Both systems are great to my ears.

If I had a warm speaker, I would likely go with an all-Benchmark stack (including their DAC). Though, even the not so warm KEF LS50 speakers were very enjoyable on the all-Benchmark stack.

@yyzsantabarbara  For years I used the Benchmark DAC3/L DAC/preamp with a pair of KEF LS50's and compared a stereo AHB2 to the Ayre V5xe.  I preferred the Ayre, I felt that I could see into the music better.  The AHB2 was not inspiring to me in that setup or with a pair of Vivid V1.5's.  On the Vivids, I much preferred the Pass XA25, as it provided more body to the midrange, which I found to be more flat and less engaging with the AHB2 (run in stereo).  I've never heard the AHB2's as monoblocks, though I've read that it offers more headroom.  That was my experience.  I recently upgraded my DAC3 to a Weiss 501, and while it was definitely an improvement, I'm not sure it warranted 4x the price of the Benchmark.  As I mentioned, my info about the Benchmark dedicated preamp is via a friend whose ears I trust - never heard it.