Tube Preamps

Ya,stick with the NAD like Cmalak says..I second that.

I always thought the rotels had more grain and are bright..

A good tube integrated might be what you would like???

IMO,I think a lot of people cant name what there looking for in HIFI.

I think it's tone,the tone had to be right,not alot of hifi has good tone...

I have found tube amps to have superior tone by a mile.

With that said,the solid state amps that I found to have good tone are Accuphase,Forte 4,threshold,some early NAD's.
Arcams OK. I know there are more....

Quote:
"Isn't the amplifier just amplifying what it receives from the preamp?"

Yes,and some amps do it much much better than others.

I now run Quicksilver's,
American made, hand made, tube amps,mono blocks

they have outstanding tone(natuaral tone),low level detail,depth,musical up the yinyang.
The cost me a measily $800 off eBay too.
So,super duper sounds dont have to cost a small fortune...

Keep posting question and learning!!

Good luck!

I have hardwoods with a huge area rug centered in the room. I have thought about NAD separates, and may go that route. I'm just trying to research all my options. I can't afford to replace everything right now so I've made the decision to keep the Rotel slot loading CD player and the speakers. I found someone who would like to purchase my Rotel preamp so hopefully that's gone this week. I heard a Bryston B100SST yesterday and I really thought it sounded excellent, although a tad pricey for me right now. It does carry a 20 year warranty which blows my mind. I like the sound of NAD gear, but would really like to move up one notch. I thought the Bryston did a good job, and I'm wondering what else I should try to hear, even if it's tubes. I like that liquid sound, I don't mind colorization as opposed to up front and bright.

You might want to try angling your speakers inward so the tweeters cross slightly in front of you.

Tube DAC, another option. If your listening is CD, a tube DAC can help tame the SS to SS to SS. There are choices on the market. You might look at Scott Nixon.