Neutral preamplifier recommendation $1K new

Must have: Active, remote, two XLR inputs and XLR output.

Units I’m considering.

Denafrips Hestia

Ladder Bach

Schiit Kara

Topping Pre90

Vincent Audio SA32

Looking for a unit that measures well & has no/little sound of its own. Right now I’m leaning towards the Kara.

mybuddy12-27-2024 2:13am

mapman Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 22,431 posts 01-03-2025 at 09:02pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete I have a measly Schit Freya S that sounds pretty neutral to me and I believe has published measurements that bear that out. The 3 way adjustable gain including passive mode is a nice feature to help match to various amps!
mybuddy OP Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 26 posts 01-03-2025 at 11:23pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete @mapman As I noted above, I am leaning towards Schiit Kara; the current iteration of the Freya S. I like that it's built in the US with a 5 year warranty. This post is to see if there were similar preamps to consider.
mybuddy OP Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 26 posts 01-24-2025 at 07:26pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete I ended up purchasing the Schiit Freya+. I could not pass it up, Schiit is having a LAST CALL special saving $250!