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Suggestions for a tube preamp

I am looking for a tube preamp that will work well with my system:

Clayton S 40 ampliflier
Rick Reimer Wind River GS speakers (on order)
Heavily modified Pioneer DVD player

I do not need phono and do not want to spend more than $1000.00 used.

Here are some preamps I have looked at:

AR LS 7, LS2, LS1
Blue Circle BC 21
Sonic Frontiers Line 1
MFA MAGUS
Audible Illusions L1 or Mod 3
CJ PV 10
Counterpoint 2000, 3000

Any and all suggestions will be appreciated!
hiflyer
twl
3,251 posts
 
I have the MFA Magus, and I think it is awesome for the money. Really nice phono stage, and plenty of gain. You might not need phono now, but you might want it later, and this phono stage is a good one. It's like getting the great phono stage for free, because this linestage is also great for the money.
aball
1,994 posts
 
You should check out the Antique Sound Labs AQ2001DT preamp. I auditioned it with the Tulip amp and was very very impressed. They bettered the Rogue 88/66 setup for a lot less money. Both setups were playing Tannoy D700s. www.divertech.com. Arthur
esoxhntr
196 posts
 
I went through this about three years ago and wound up listening to virtually all of the stuff on your list - the Blue Circle BC21 was slightly but definitely better than the competition that you have listed. BUT...I did not listen to the Magus, and it is well regarded by a number of people. Bottom line: try and listen to as many of them as possible and trust your ears.
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