PreAmp for Bryston 3BST/Mirage OM6 combo

In the past I had a .5b mated with an older 3B (pre ST) and then I moved up to a BP-25/4B-ST combo. Still found it dry but extremely accurate. Went to a Rogue 66 tube preamp and was much happier. Gave up a little of the detail for a warmer sound - more enjoyable to my ears. Audition a tube preamp if you can so you can see (hear) the other side of solid state.

i definitely tink a toobed pre is the way to go. in my system, w/electrocompaniet s/s amps, i use a melos music director, which is outstanding, imho, & can be had for $1500-$2k, depending on age & exact iteration (ma-333/ma-333r/music director). later wersions had remote-control of balance & wolume, balanced outs were an option. in the $700-$1k range was the melos sha-gold/sha-gold-r/maestro. yust a small cut below the ma333 series. ewe will gain all the warmth of tubes, & lose none of the detail of good solid-state. also great dynamics.

doug s.

Sonic Frontier L1, L1 signiture, Line 1 would be a good combination.

There a few preowned Conrad Johnsons on the Classified block that you might enjoy. These have an extremely musical sound in systems comparable to yours that I have heard them in.

There was no indication as to the characteristics desired from this upgrade. That knowledge would have helped tailor a response. Still, several good suggestions have already been made. To expound on a couple of them, the Sonic Frontiers Line 1 is more neutral and analytical sounding in its stock form. It's the most "solid state sounding" pre- I've heard. Adding the right NOS tubes does warm things up a bit, but it's not going to give a highly "tubey" sound. On the other hand the Rouge 66 has more more classic tube characteristics.

In this case, knowing the 3B-ST's analytic (dry?) leanings, on paper I'd give the edge to the Rogue. To borrow someone else's analogy, it's a yin-yang combination that helps avoid too much of a good thing.

The usual disclaimer applies: I haven't tried these pairings, so where possible please listen before buying. BTW, I own a Line 1 (which is a yin-yang compliment to my McCormack amp) and have also extensively auditioned the Bryston, though not together.