Help! Need tube preamp to finish system.

I have used a VTL 2.5 with the phono stage and it was very nice in the 1500-2000 range. I now have a Thor TA-1000 and it is beyond belief. Highly recomend if 6000-7000 price doesn't empty the wallet:-)) You might e mail audiokinesis@home.net as they have both the Atma-Sphere and Thor... Good luck, Harry

Sonic Frontiers Line 2. Excellent value. I disagree that preamp is most important component, however. ALL components are important, even cables. I have found that SOURCE components make the most difference. Spend money on cartridge, for example. Also, upgrade to a Wadia CD player!!

The Roge is the 0only way to go kills all others under 5k.Dont buy till you listen to a Rogue.

I've listened to the rogue,It sounded great. But did not sound any different than running straight from my DAC. Some would say that is what you want, some call that neutral.I say the reason for adding a preamp in the first place is to get a sonic signature( oh no coloration!) that you as an individual likes, among other things,such as switching. I personally have been on a preamp quest,have tried the rogue,blue circle BC 3, audio electronic supply AE-3,& the BAT vk-30se. So far i'm in love with the BAT at first I thought it had a strong emphasias on the upper mids,but after carefull listening, I realized this preamp just simply brings music to life it is the most revealing I've tried, very clean & accurate will not make bad recording sound good ( as with some heavy euphonic tubes will do) I know BAT has made a lot of enemies out there, being only 5 or 6 yrs old & making sterophile class A ( which really ain't that big of a deal) but all of the show awards do say something.This preamp uses the exclusive russian tube 6h30,but I would say it's really a hybrid design, I only have one more preamp to try & that is the First sound or presence deluxe. If it sounds like all the other all tube designs it will be sold. I myself don't mind the coloration if it's what I'm looking,the whole idea behind a preamp.Try the BAT they are upgrading many of there preamps to the 6h30 tube (which is what you want) You will never beleive the music can sound so natural, so alive,so musical.After playing the BAT in my system a while, I went back to a another before mentioned preamp just for a/b sake and instantly the music just died. Sounded as if I put towels over my speakers. Unbelievable!!! My system( for all you that are saying the rest of my gear must really be bad)includes: Merlin vsm-se's, Camlot uther v2.0 DAC,camelot merlin transport,Blue circle BC 2 mono's,all jps lab wiring. Thanks for the thread.

philifreak,Which Rogue are you referring to, the 66 or the 99?