rowland capri, bat vk3i or vtl 2.5 ?

oh, the tact rcs 2.0 / 2.2 is on my list as well.

ps.:

6 out of 10 capri-posts are made by guidocorona - maybe there is some kind of interest behind it.

i dont have the chance to hear any of the listed amps in my system - but for now the capri is my favourite

i always loved tube amps, but never cared for hybrid integrateds - not apples - not oranges - just a weird mix - and never as open as a tube amp. but since the nuforce is such a transparent amp - it might transport the life of tube pre´s better than the lower priced hybrid-integrateds i´ve heard before.

I guess that makes me 1 out of the other 4 posts for the Capri. I admit, I like it. There are better, but I have the full function version with MC/MM and it serves my needs well for the time being. You could do a lot worse.

Given that you are using Nuforce, why not the Atma-sphere MP-3? At its going used price this should also be on your list.

Stonedtemplepilot, as a lover of tubes, you may very well prefer a slightly warmer presentation. Why not try the AudioAERO Capitol II. . . it has a true analog output stage drivin by subminiaturized tubes that are aledged to last 10K hours. . . Heard it a few times and it does sound rather delicious to me actually. Whether it is preferable to a separate pre, I just can't say. . . I have not done the comparison myself, and I feel comfortable talking only about what I have experienced. . . . and even then only as a very personal preference.
Even when it comes to my curently preferred linestage of record, I would never state that it is "the best", nor that its "better" than an other device. . . I can only state that given sertain parameters, I prefer it over some other device, which in turn I have preferred in the past over a small series of other line stages. G.