Whats a good tube preamp?

Sagger, I'll defer to you on the neutrality of the current models of CJ. I do think that from a transparency standpoint, an ARC LS15 does sound more transparent than say a PV10. Perhaps that is due to (as Asa said) the "challenge upper midrange". No fight here on that. I've found a synergistic match in my system and I have ALWAYS enjoyed CJ gear, so as I said above, you can't go wrong either CJ or ARC. I have not heard, but hear from others, that Joule is top notch as well as CAT. Good luck.

Asa you obviously know JOULE. It's really a sleeper & earns it's reputation purley by word of mouth. I found out about JOULE through a friend. Someone who's owned the BAT's, CAT's, ARC's, CJ's & just insisted I listen to the JOULE. Long story short, I own a JOULE ELECTRA LA 200 MKIII & prefer it over all of the above. Guess what my amp is Avguygeorge...You got it, the CJ Premier 11A. Their a great match although I'm seriously thinking about replacing it with a pair of JOULE VZN 100 OTL's (I figure if the preamps that good, the amp must be a killer too). Asa, the reason I recommend the MKIII is because it matches up better with most amps. The MKII is pretty much sonically the same, however it had difficulty driving amps with a 50K or less input impedance (they wouldn't play loud at all) Anyway, Jud corrected that with the MKIII. Your comment on name reconition is a good point. Altough JOULE has been around for 10 years, most audiophiles don't know about them, but if you read carefully you'll find they are a stand out at most of the shows. Well Avguygeorge, I think atleast two of us recommend the JOULE. In my opinion it is the best sounding not to mention the prettiest by far (if you care about looks). Second choice would be the CJ. My least favorite is the ARC (sorry ARC lover's).

Ops...I just realized, my comments to Avguygeorge should actually be addresed to Thonepile. Sorry.

FIRST choice CJ 16LS if budget allows,2nd JOULE ELECTRA 100MKIII or 200MKIII.GOOD LUCK

Martins need current so I would try a solid state amp along with the other choices stated. Audible illusions is a must audition. Good listening.