Top ten tube preamps

This is obviously going to turn into a list of 100s and I'm not sure what is to be gained from that information. It might be more interesting to list your biggest dissapointment, that is a pre you bought thinking it was going to be great, great reviews and recommendations and it ended being a big dissapointment or did not live up to expecation or simply did not work well in your system. I guess that would be another thread.

Prima Luna, prologue 3 is the best one I know. It doesn't have to much of a tuby sound and is normally priced and is well build.

jtimothya,

I have not auditioned the Ref 3, but the MP-1 is a transparent, resolving, and dynamic preamp that surpasses my BAT P10 phono stage & gets very close to the music.

I can see some have listed solid state too. So to make this thread completely useless I will post my solid state recomendations too:

Connoisseur Definitions 3.0
Boulder 2010
FM Acoustics Resolution Series 268
Dynaudio Arbiter
Goldmund Mimesis 22 Signature
Krell Evolution Two
Burmester 808 Mk.V
MBL 6010D
Mark Levinson No.32
Halcro dm10
Spectral DMC-30SS
Jeff Rowland Design Group Criterion (Upcoming)
CTC Builders Blowtorch
dartZeel NHB-18NS
Bridge Audio Laboratories BAlabo BC-1 Mk.II
Cello Audio Suite
Pass Labs X0.2
Edge Electronics NL Reference (Upcoming)
Linn Klimax Control
Gryphon Mirage

If these were or were not previously mentioned I think they bear repeating... and my thoughts are based solely on my own conceptions from actually hearing them and not from just looking at their price points. It's a short list.

BAT VK5i... Just classic.
Thor TA 1000 .. A remarkable music maker.
Thor TA 1000 MK II... tough to improve upon near perfection but Marks pulled it off here.

I've heard several others in showrooms... and some mighty pricey ones too. Without question what so ever many were edged by the 5i.... and all were nailed by the thors.

Just my two cents... er, three cents.