Whats a good tube preamp?

Sonic Frontiers Line 3 at the high end Audible Illusions as a bargain option.

"Sagger" is correct. New CJ has added low level resolution and lessened upper mid euphonics than earlier "golden" hued models (or even "dark" to some). Bass still a wee touch plummy, but exceedingly truthful. ARC - all of the new ones (which is why the iterations of REF I to II happened so quickly and why the VT 100 needed new caps & dampers) - are upper midrange challenged in a mechanically tinged way. If you run their pre's with ss or ARC amps or 6550-based amps, you wont notice the difference (please, ARC owners, save the railing). Like CJ, Joule is very dimensional, and each, with proper matching equipment, is capable of enveloping the listener. However, with that said, I believe Joule is a touch better with the illusion of the farthest depth field (which you probably wont hear without SE triodes and the right cables). "Sagger" again correct on "warmth" on Joule, or rather, apparent warmth. I would attribute it to lessened energy in the upper octaves combined with a still slight plummy tendancy in bass octaves that can be amplified in effect with wrong equipment (but still, like CJ's, very natural). On Joule, "Sagger" correct on model number (Mk III). Mk I's are vague and soupy, almost compressed; Mk II's much better, particularly at frequency extremes; but, Mk III with different driver tube in output stage & Purist silver wire to brighten things up just a tad on low level detail is best, and particularly regarding rhythmic energy in bass (also drives cable better). A fair price for well cared for Joule is $1800 and a no-brainer: hard-wired, NOS tubes et al. CJ has better name recognition and, accordantly faster resale, but a few more rubles. Properly matched, I dont think the Joule is lesser compared to the CJ's, even more liquid, perhaps, but less versatile from system to system. Joule REQUIRES a very good power cord to sound its best in midrange weight and rhythmic pace (another $500, remember...) .I havent A/B'd cords on the newer CJ pre's. Original copper Electraglide cord is good bet for both at $240 used, but a lot of people ga-ga now on the new Shunyata stuff, so you might ask around about those. Good luck!

Sagger, I'll defer to you on the neutrality of the current models of CJ. I do think that from a transparency standpoint, an ARC LS15 does sound more transparent than say a PV10. Perhaps that is due to (as Asa said) the "challenge upper midrange". No fight here on that. I've found a synergistic match in my system and I have ALWAYS enjoyed CJ gear, so as I said above, you can't go wrong either CJ or ARC. I have not heard, but hear from others, that Joule is top notch as well as CAT. Good luck.

Asa you obviously know JOULE. It's really a sleeper & earns it's reputation purley by word of mouth. I found out about JOULE through a friend. Someone who's owned the BAT's, CAT's, ARC's, CJ's & just insisted I listen to the JOULE. Long story short, I own a JOULE ELECTRA LA 200 MKIII & prefer it over all of the above. Guess what my amp is Avguygeorge...You got it, the CJ Premier 11A. Their a great match although I'm seriously thinking about replacing it with a pair of JOULE VZN 100 OTL's (I figure if the preamps that good, the amp must be a killer too). Asa, the reason I recommend the MKIII is because it matches up better with most amps. The MKII is pretty much sonically the same, however it had difficulty driving amps with a 50K or less input impedance (they wouldn't play loud at all) Anyway, Jud corrected that with the MKIII. Your comment on name reconition is a good point. Altough JOULE has been around for 10 years, most audiophiles don't know about them, but if you read carefully you'll find they are a stand out at most of the shows. Well Avguygeorge, I think atleast two of us recommend the JOULE. In my opinion it is the best sounding not to mention the prettiest by far (if you care about looks). Second choice would be the CJ. My least favorite is the ARC (sorry ARC lover's).

Ops...I just realized, my comments to Avguygeorge should actually be addresed to Thonepile. Sorry.