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Tube Pre-Amp Recommendation

Im new to this forum but have spent few months reading into posts. The more i read the more i get confused on my first purchase of a Good quality Tube Pre-amp. At this very moment I have always used Solid states pre-amp but after hearing the Audio Research Arc Ref 5 and 3 I am on the upgrade bug. Considering these units cost allot of money I need some suggestion if there are other Tube Pre-Amp which can either match similar levels to the Arc Ref 5 or better it.

I am not bothered about name brands or looks of the unit rather on how it presents the music to me.
I have not own a Tube Gear before in my life, and not sure on how to go about it. BTW I am in Indonesia (A British Expat Working and Living Here)

Demoing unit is out of the question here, even buying a unit here is so much more expensive then back at home In the UK. I prefer to Buy from USA (Will use a Power converter if needed)

My Current Setup is:
Speakers: Philharmonics 3
Amplifier: Audio GD Master 2 Series Mono Blocks (Will Upgrade Later to Krell, Macintosh or Pass)
CD player: Oppo 95 Using on Board DAC for the time being. Looking to upgrade later on for DAC
Room: Heavily treated, with Foam, Acoustic Panels, Bass Traps in all 4 Corners.

Budget less than 6000 Dollars.

Need Performance Level Matching that of Arc Ref 5Se or better.

Need suggestion and opinion on how to go about this. I prefer fasting sound more to neutral. Slight warm but not too much. I did find Cary SLP05 Pretty Warm, however on Ebay it slipped my fingers otherwise I was going to pull the trigger on that. I will being pairing this with Solid State Amplifier don’t want to get into Power Amps using Tubes for the next few years at least.

Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks Guys
dragon_vibe
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
A preamp as good or better than an Audio Research Ref5 Se is going to cost way more than $6,000.
IMO any of the suggestions so far are only around the quality of the Audio Research REF3.
Personally if I were the op, I would buy the Audio Research REF3, which is about $5,000. have it sent to ARC for retubing first, before sending it to you where you are.
Have them send a spare set of tubes. (and include the original tubes.
Between all this you may have a good preamp like you want, and around the cost you are looking for.
Your pie in the sky wanting a preamp better tan what you could possibly afford, and the likelyhood of just being scammed by some fast talking whoever.. (Basically I am saying no such thing as a free lunch, that is no cheaper preamp is a 'giantkiller' period.)
I would suggest go for the ARC REF3.
baps
6 posts
 
I highly recommend the SAS Audio Labs 11A. Incredibly neutral and transparent tube preamp!
vhiner
533 posts
 
As usual, Elizabeth is on target. I *have* heard the Dodd outclass the Ref 3 but your resale will never compare to any ARC gear. The new Conrad Johnson ET5 is quite fast and can be obtained used within your budget, but I've never compared it to the ARC Ref 5.
zd542
5,339 posts
 
Given your description of what you are trying to achieve, you would probably like an Aesthetix Calypso. I like it better than the ARC myself.
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
4,637 posts
 
The Dude costs $6000 and I am most confident it is as good....period. Love to compare as I would be shocked if it was not better. Price has almost nothing to do with this comparison. Now, I have listened to and compared many an expensive preamp to the Dude and am in a position to make this kind of statement. In other words, I have had the experience.
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