Pre for VAC Auricle Musicbloc 70/70

It sounds like you are are on the right track with the pre's you are thinking about. I am confused though, as to
if you bought the Ren 70/70 (65wpc) or the newer Musicbloc
160's. I just bought the Phi 300.1, and all I can say is,
" It's good to be home". If I were in your shoes, I would
try and audition a pre first. Maybe the Modright or AH. I
would maybe add the Lamm LL2, although the high gain may
not be the best match. I have also heard Cat mate well,
that was with the Ren amps though. First Sound may be worth
considering, also have a friend who has had success with a
previous Rowland model, not too sure if this one would be
in your range though. Even though I have less than 25 hrs
on my amps, I concur with Sherod on the Neutrality without
losing the tube musicality. Enjoy the ride !

Thanks to all.

Sherod, I don't have the amps yet, but once I have them I may take you up on your offer to pick your brain from time to time. Thanks for the recommendations on the cables, tubes, and the promethean. For the short term, I will have to make do with the cables I have - mostly Acoustic Zen. I'm using a KT88 integrated now and have several quads of current production tubes on hand for comparison sake.

Jmcgrogan2 - Thanks for the advice. I plan to use the volume control in Opus 21 to fill the preamp role initially, but will seek out a preamp for comparison sake before making a final determination on the amps.

Fjn04 - I picked up these amps used, so they are not current production. Your Phi 300.1 is a grade or two above the Auricle Musicblocs. I'm sure you will enjoy that beautiful amp!

I'm just short of analysis paralysis, but I believe I have decided to try the Dodd preamp. The reviews have been good and it fills all of my needs with the exception of a balanced output. I have been intrigued by battery power for a while and would like to satisfy my curiosity of the benefits of going "off the grid". Dodd is currently discounting them, so it seems like a good time to jump. I'll report back with my findings.

Does the Dodd have a free trial period like the Audio Horizons preamp?

the vac standard-used

I ordered the Dodd. My curiosity got the better of me. I'll report back in a few weeks after everything is settled in.