CATSL1 best pre under 3K?

Also for the poster I have owned and listened to more preamps over the past years than you could imagine. All in my system and room. Many costing up to $12,000 new as I have been fortunate to sell gear for several high end audio friends. Without exaggeration I have listened to and compared at least 20 highly touted and highly reviewed preamps over the past 10 years....perhaps more as I lost count.

The ones mentioned are all very good indeed.... like Coincident & CAT. Others like Tom Evans Vibe, Tom Evans Soulmate, various Joule units, Atmasphere, Audio Horizons, CJ, etc...are also very good. But, in terms of which ones can be had at $3,000 and under, not sure you can get some of these like the Dude or Coincident.

The two best I have heard (in my system) under $3,000 would be these and in this order....

Audio Valve Eklipse ......absolutely a sleeper used.

Tom Evans Vibe alone and even better with Pulse power supply. But the power supply may be out of your budget.

In the spirit of fun and experimentation I hope you two can pull this off. I've
heard both the DUDE and CAT and no way would I conclude that the CAT is
more dynamic or resolved than the DUDE.In my system compared
directl(DUDE and Coincident), the DUDE is quite dynamic, bold and
"big" sounding yet very good across the board. The Coincident
is also very dynamic but is more nuanced and resolved/transparent (at
least in my system against that "particular" DUDE, I know there are different

individual custom versions available). The point is that either will be chosen
based on specific preferences and a multitude of variables. So it's difficult
to turn this into a "mine is definitely better than yours" battle.
Excellent active preamplifiers enhance any good audio system in my
opinion.
Have fun you two.
Charles,

Jwm and I are neighbors and friends for well over 20 years. Between the two of us we have heard a slew of highly regarded preamps. Jwm had the CAT for a good while then bought a ARC REF 2 and later replaced that with the VAC Signature MK II. In his system the VAC was the better sounding by a good margin in my opinion (none of these were bad however). Jwm's current Absolare Passion is simply wonderful and has eclipsed the excellent VAC. There are many fine preamps available.
Charles,

Granny, the challenge would be interesting. However, I live on the West Coast, so
the distance is a factor. When I heard the Dude it was in a friend's system who
also was using a Counterpoint SA5.1. The Counterpoint was the better sounding
preamp to the Dude that day, IMO.
BTW, I notice that no one here seems to be using analog as a front end...perhaps
that is telling us something.

Hi Daveyf,
If you look at the system page of Jwm you'll see he has a stellar Basis TT
and their top tonearm along with the (ZYX Universe II cartridge) and also
the excellent Aesthetix Romulus Signature CD player. Both make beautiful
music and are "quite resolving" and they easily distinguish
between various components placed in this system very well. I'm a former
analog aficionado(Well Tempered table and arm) and still enjoy listening to
fine analog systems but I find
high quality digital equally pleasing (just depends on the set up) I love my
Yamamoto based digital front end. When comparing the CAT, its line stage
input is judged against other line stages. We're all experienced enough to
know this is really just an interesting discussion revolving around
subjective taste. The OP asked about what's available in his stated price
range. For a little more money an used DUDE or Coincident would IMO be
superb alternatives to the CAT. He has very good options to consider and I
hope I was able to contribute in some small way.It would be best if he could
actually hear these candidates under good system set up conditions.
Reading the comments posted here, he must accept that we all reflect our
individual bias and preferences.
Charles,