aricaudio,mapletree,norh, quicksilver preamps

After the great disbursement (divorce), much of my stereo gear "went away"

A nice solid state amp and an adequate CD player remain. I have been noodling around with the idea of a tube preamp. This would be my first foray into tubed equipment.

Quicksilver is available locally. But there are some interesting online sites that discuss aric audio, norh and mapletree preamps.

They would be used with a tuner, CD player, and maybe an ipod dock.....then blown thru a powerful solid state amp. Any experience with these manufacturers?

I'm a newbie here, so be kind. Thank you