best transparent pre amp

Dvdgreco-

to date, the (3) best that I have auditioned;
ARC Ref5 SE (tubed)
Conrad Johnson Act2 Series2 (tubed)
Pass Labs XP-20 (solid state).

I mention these models because in own way are simply outstanding and mate very well w/ a solid-state Power amp.

Most importantly, which brand(s) cabling will you be using?

Keep me posted & Happy Listening!

Mixed bag of interconnects

Grover hofman zx
Gabriel gold passion
Reality
The amr comes with its own which I have been told is quatrofil (spelling incorrect)

Herron vtsp 1a ???

Dvdgreco, your amp has a very useful high SE input impedance at 99.5k ohms, which is great for many ways of controlling the volume active or passive.
But what is your source??

Sorry just saw Amr cd 77.1 soon I will see what it's capable of doing and will then give some ideas.

Cheers George

Dvdgreco

Your amp has a very useful high SE input impedance at 99.5k ohms, and only needs 1.2v input for full power.

And your future AMR CD77.1 has a nice low output impedance which is <100ohms with more than 2v output.

This combination is perfect for a 10kohm logerithmic passive preamp. Like the $49 Schitt Sys (linked).
As you can see all you need is passive preamp which will give you, as you say.
"excellent source to shine through unobstructed. Neither add or detract from the signal provided."
It will be the most transparent way of controlling the volume and getting the source signal to the poweramp.

http://schiit.com/products/sys

Cheers George