tube pre suggestion

Mute or Balance features are common on preamps costing $3000+

my preamp has neither, but I can't imagine trading it since I get everything I wanted from all the tube preamps I tried, plus stone dead quietness, and no tubes to mess with. It is a Tom Evans Vibe & Pulse.

If you need the tubes, the best I have owned in my system are a fully decked out AtmaSphere MP3 and a VTL 5.5, both of which I thought bettered the highly rated Calypso and SF Line 3SE. I would also like to try Joule-Electra. All of these range from the top of your budget to about 50% higher. Good luck.

I am not a tube preamp expert by any stretch but I believe I struck gold upon my first venture into tubes. I purchased a AE-3 DJH signature (cary) preamp. This preamp is not the soft or rolled off variety of tube preamp. It is dynamic and has an open sound. I have owned the Krell integrated and the Krell KRC3 preamp. While I enjoyed both of those units, I much prefer the sound of this little AE-3 preamp. I have experimented with tube rolling and it does further improve its sound. In a head to head comparison in my system I thought it bettered the VTL 5.5. It is important to realize that this preamp is not real flexible having only 3 inputs and only one set of outputs (RCA only).

Tvad,
Victor's e-mail address at Audio Horizon is:

vcomerchero@sbcglobal.net Unless he's traveling, I'm sure that he'll get back with you promptly. He's always been very responsive to my e-mails, unless he's on the road. Regarding the preamp's lack of mute switch and balance control, I don't know why Joseph didn't include them. I never bothered to ask as these two features weren't relevant to me. My guess on his omitting the balance switch is that it would degrade the sound. This preamp matches very well with my VAC Musicblocs.

Samgupta101: I have been running just about the same amps as you (Nuforce 9 modded by Reference Audio Mods to SE or better, but V1)along with the Modwright pre for a year now and am extremely satisfied with what I hear. My speakers are Von Schweikert VR4 jrs. The main tweaking I've done is with the tubes in the pre...the Sylvania GB65687s work best for me...but there are other choices and the tubes are fairly inexpensive...and only two of them. Interconnects seem to play a significant role too; I'm now using Acoustic Zen Mattrix Reference II over Audience Au24 and Speltz ICs. I do think it has alot to do with your ears and the system front end. My take on Nuforce and a tube preamp is that with the detail the Nuforces deliver AND...how to say this...body/weight/bloom a tubed pre adds...it's a great match and it works for me. Good luck!

Look into the Musical Designs SP2B...entry level price is $1000 and wonderfully upgradeable later on. It's a sleeper and often goes unnoticed. Its price \ performance ratio is remarkable.