Good comments and suggestions have been offered. I'd like to share just a note of caution. Making the right choice in a preamplifier is profoundly affected by your priorities (what is important to you) in music reproduction. This can include the type of music to which you most often listen.
For my tastes and for what I value in music reproduction, I have always preferred the musical naturalness of Conrad-Johnson equipment, particularly with "later" PV-9 or PV-10 models and models designed thereafter. IMHO, these two full-function preamps are two of the most satisfying tube preamps available in the "lower-cost" used market, both of which typically sell in the $600-900 range. The C-J equipment will not be happy with a low-output cartridge, but performs quite well with cartridges in the 1.2mv and higher output levels.
If you've like the Black Cube, the ARC recommendations will work well for you. For my tastes, I have simply never found the musical satisfaction with the ARC preamps that I find with comparable Conrad-Johnson equipment. It's a matter of one's priorities in listening, not an issue of which is better or worse.
For point of reference, I listen almost exclusively to acoustic music (acoustic instruments and voice), and 90% of my listening is to classical music. Also, I have a strong bias in favor of tube electronics based on my priorities and my listening experiences over the years. Most important to me for sound reproduction are: midrange accuracy, reproducing correctly the timbre of the instruments, harmonic integrity and capturing the delicate harmonic overtones, and soundstaging. The C-J equipment has always done these things superbly.
Best of luck as you pursue assembling the right system for you! And congratulations on your dedication to vinyl!
For my tastes and for what I value in music reproduction, I have always preferred the musical naturalness of Conrad-Johnson equipment, particularly with "later" PV-9 or PV-10 models and models designed thereafter. IMHO, these two full-function preamps are two of the most satisfying tube preamps available in the "lower-cost" used market, both of which typically sell in the $600-900 range. The C-J equipment will not be happy with a low-output cartridge, but performs quite well with cartridges in the 1.2mv and higher output levels.
If you've like the Black Cube, the ARC recommendations will work well for you. For my tastes, I have simply never found the musical satisfaction with the ARC preamps that I find with comparable Conrad-Johnson equipment. It's a matter of one's priorities in listening, not an issue of which is better or worse.
For point of reference, I listen almost exclusively to acoustic music (acoustic instruments and voice), and 90% of my listening is to classical music. Also, I have a strong bias in favor of tube electronics based on my priorities and my listening experiences over the years. Most important to me for sound reproduction are: midrange accuracy, reproducing correctly the timbre of the instruments, harmonic integrity and capturing the delicate harmonic overtones, and soundstaging. The C-J equipment has always done these things superbly.
Best of luck as you pursue assembling the right system for you! And congratulations on your dedication to vinyl!