Wadia : what amp / preamp ?

I run my Wadia 850 into a Pass Labs X1 (solid state) preamp. This preamp is very transparent, and adds no euphonic coloration either yin or yang. IMO it gives body and dynamics to the music that I don't get when running directly into an amp. In my system I've also had an ARC LS25 (nice but too "tubey") and the Levinson 380S (left me uninvolved). I suppose TOP-end preamps, whether SS or tube, would be the way to go here (e.g., Levinson #32, ARC Ref2), but I could only afford the Pass for now. You might also want to check out the Sim P5 if you're in the "moderate" price range.

Levinson #32 and Levinson #33H/#33.

Wadia WT-2000 tweaked by Great Northern Sound; Placette Dual Active Mono preamp; Innersound ESL Monoblocks

Your amp choice should be dictated more by which speakers you use than what your source is, I would say.

Regardless, you can't go wrong with the Placette preamp.

Spent HOURS and HOURS at a great dealer trying to resolve this issue a while back. Ended up not buying Wadia (25/20) because I could never find a preamp that didn't veil the sound...bought Levinson 36/37 and Classe' pre. BUT...FWIW the S series Levinson pre was by far the most transparent I heard during this audition. Associated equip was ML 33's, top line Cardas cabling, and Hales Concept 8's so I assume nothing downstream was a limiting factor in the analysis.

If money's no object get the Levinson No. 32. Otherwise do like John Atkinson and get a 380S and a PS Audio 300 Ac regenerator.