Which used preamp for Halo A21, under $1,000?

At first I had the A21 paired with the Parasound P5 preamp and the Maggies. The sound was wonderful on great recordings but very harsh on less than perfect recordings. I was limited to playing about 1/4 of my CD's. Then I switched to the YS preamp and a tubed Vincent Audio CD player. it helped a lot, But still too many CD's were still to harsh. I could not tell you what preamp it compares to because I have only switched out a few preamps and most of them were SS. I can only tell you that as I am getting older I am going more torwards tubes. My new bedroom system is a tube integrated amp with a turntable with tubed phono preamp. The CD player is SS. I can now play all of my CD's.

Regards,
Dan

Czarivey and Timlub: I've been reading about the Muse 3, and it really does sound like a sweet pre. Unfortunately, it also looks really rare on the used market. Anything similar come to mind?

Have patience check used market regularly and hunt for one. Nothing comes close for the price range so far and many current owners chose this one to be the last component. This preamp can seriousely 'tell amp what to do' and performs far beyond the price point.

How about an Audible Illusions Modulus 3? I want a remote, but maybe I could live without it...

You might be able to snag a Klyne at your price point. Excellent full function preamp.