What qualities stand out in really good solid state preamps?

@audphile1  "Appears as if you have already interpreted and perceived what is meant by these words."

The word "warmer" seems more definite than the word "neutral," and that's what I was getting at. Much of the debate here seems to be about "neutral." 

   @jc4659  My current active preamp is a loaner, one built around a burson audio buffer. I am not sure my Holoa Audio spring can be run straight into my amp, but that's an interesting suggestion!

Again, my main thrus in this thread is to gather vocabulary for SS preamp differences.

@hilde45 Thanks, I think I saw on another forum that you owned a deHavilland pre.

This whole neutrality thing seems to have discussions going around in circles. My use of the term was more restricted to having the opportunity to listen to music with and without a preamp in the path, all other parts being the same. A DAC with a volume control is one way to do this. It can show you how the preamp may be contributing to the overall sound or if it is not changing it at all.  Absolute neutrality seems impossible to ascertain since you would need to have the live recording event as a reference. After that, the sound we hear from our systems is guaranteed to be different. It gets "seasoned" by engineers, mixing/recording equipment, and playback gear including acoustic space.

When I remove my solid state preamp I like what I hear; just trying to decide what kind of seasoning, if any, I might want to add. It's a subjective thing for sure but for me it's both visceral and emotional. I know it when I hear it.  The objective attributes I look for have been mentioned by others above.  My reference will always be real people playing real instruments in a real space. 

@jc4659
I have a deHavilland type pre, yes.

The word "neutral" is anything but neutral. It’s more like a Rohrshach test that exhumes what people find important in what they listen for in their systems.

Your idea of comparing with vs. without a preamp is useful.

Neutral is not that useful a word, especially given how differently preamps can sound. For example, when I compare two preamps I’m testing, there are differences which come out that are fairly significant. [See photo below of my buddies DIY preamp built around the Burson Audio Buffer using really good caps and parts vs. a low cost L.Pass 2.0 Mos FET ] The DIY is just better in every regard. But neutrality is not at stake.

(FWIW, the L.Pass 2.0 is an amazing bargain. Dead quiet, good imaging and instrument tonal accuracy, good dynamics. $154? Who can beat that for the price?)

Live listening experiences can vary a lot. Sometimes, I find myself questioning whether I’m sitting in the best spot. I have sat 7th row center and I have sat 35th row off to the right. If I sit close to the bass section in an orchestra, I bemoan how "bass-heavy" everything sounds. It’s not balanced enough. Is that a lack of neutrality? Compared to what? -- that’s the question. Here, the answer could be (a) compared to 7th row center or (b) compared to my rig. In other cases, one venue is, itself, worse than another -- or my rig. But "better" and "worse" and "neutral" or "non-neutral" all have to be indexed to a set of criteria or they’re not helpful words -- they’re wobbly words.

“Hey Siri / Alexa, where can I find a dozen + takes on audio neutrality?”

😉

Growing up where only English is taught/spoken and moving to/working where several languages are taught/spoken (and where English is a second language), it became clear the inevitable pitfall of trying to tie down meanings among people for audio kit adjectives that have been adapted from other senses (at the most proximal) or completely unrelated contexts. This seems a very fast-moving target be it for preamps or something else.

But admittedly, the notion of potentially feeding a SS preamp to a tube power amp had me curious just for how unconventional it is!

Great post!

Especially true if we refer to gear pieces to define and learn about any concept instead of acoustics as a reference, the way we create ourself "neutrality" in a system room teach much more than using a new piece of gear...

Then for reason relating to the characteristics of our system parts /room and specific synergy what we look for will differ for each of us. For example i was looking for a more "organic" synergy , then i pick up tubes preamplification to couple it with my dryer active speakers.... Luckily it was a match in heaven....But the same preamplifier may appear as "trash" for another person needs, and system/room characteristics and level ....There is no rule  in brand name choices preamplification  for a synergy... Electrical specs compatibility but it is not enought to create synergy which ultimately is an acoustic experience...

Growing up where only English is taught/spoken and moving to/working where several languages are taught/spoken (and where English is a second language), it became clear the inevitable pitfall of trying to tie down meanings among people for audio kit adjectives that have been adapted from other senses (at the most proximal) or completely unrelated contexts. This seems a very fast-moving target be it for preamps or something else.

But admittedly, the notion of potentially feeding a SS preamp to a tube power amp had me curious just for how unconventional it is!