Good preamp for under $300


My Apt Holman preamp is on the fritz, and since no one in this burg knows how to fix anything properly, I'm looking to replace it. Can anyone recommend a better preamp for under $300, or should I just grab another Holman?

Johnny
Colorado Springs

The rest of my system, if you're interested:

Adcom GFA-555II amp
Klipsch Heresy II speakers
AR turntable with Rega RB-300 Incognito-modified tonearm
Audio Technica AT440ML cartridge
Rotel RCD-855 CD
MSB Link DAC
Kimber PBJ interconnects & 4TC speaker cables
krazykat
check out the McCormack Micro-Line Drive. It has passive and active outputs and an outboard transformer. It is a very good bargain at $250. It is a gem. Salsero
Kkat,
Bypass mode is using the preamp purely as a pass thru for your source to your amp... just using the volume pot. not the gain section of your preamp. You dont get the same volume levels as when the preamp is active. It is supposed to be a more sonically pure way to listen.. I personally like the sonics of the pro 10 without using the bypass mode imo. The external power supply is rock solid and it is a good thought on B and Ks part to isolate it from the rest of the electronics.
It is just one of those nice pieces...
Best of luck,
Joe
I just got a used PS Audio 4.5 preamp for $220 on ebay. There is a 5.0 on ebay right now for about $150 and the auction ends today I think. So far Im very impressed with this pre going with my B&K ST-140. Very warm sound with an almost live performance quality. It has no tone controls, outboard power supply, straightwire mode (makes unit a passive pre) and dual outputs. Very good for the price.