Tube preamp suggestions.

I'd recommend a Conrad Johnson or the Cary SLP 2002. I A/B'd these in the same system at the same time. The Cary is 6922 based while the Conrad (PV10B) was 6189 (12AU7) based. Both displayed great musicality and a very nice midrange without being too neutral. The Cary had a significantly bigger and more enveloping soundstage, and extended into the high frequencies much better. So, in effect, the Cary sounded more neutral. The Conrad sounded like it was rolling off the high frequencies. Both had similar bass response (sounded nice in the system). The Cary sounded a little more forward in the presentation. The Cary can be tube rolled with lots more options than the Conrad Johnson to get the sound you want, so I won't explain the differences in sonic signature much more.

The two of us who auditioned it preferred the Cary.

They were in a quality system with good components.

Velo62, I have owned both the AR LS-25mkII and the CAT Ultimate II at the same time and was able to give a just audition with both before choosing which preamp I would keep.To my ears and in my system the AR was extremely detailed throughout the scale, but was also extremely sterile sounding almost as if a veil was covering the music from coming into bloom. The CAT on the other hand is extremely revealing (A/B compared with stock tubes)and over all sonically preferred. Top extension was very good, bottom was solid and mids were detailed, but not as much as I would like. This now resides with my system, and it wasn't until I rolled tubes that I found the CAT performing much better. Get rid of the Sovtek tubes without question IMO. Hope this helps.

Linestages seem particularly sensitive to associated electronics so it is a bit tricky trying to guess how they will sound in your system. I have found that a lot of models sound completely different depending on the system. So, given this caveat, I can say that, in the systems I auditioned them in, the Cary SLP-98 sounded way to warm and sluggish, and, while it did throw a quite large soundstage, that big soundstage seemed to be a product of phasiness rather than being natural. The AR was the complete opposite -- it was lean, lacking in harmonic richness,weight and meatiness, which made it sound cold and unnatural.

The Emotive Audio Sira can be very good, harmonically rich and vibrant, but, in the wrong system, it can sound a bit loose and sluggish in the bass, so it (like anything else) must be auditioned. I have the Epifania with the optional teflon caps. This is an incredibly good linestage (leaner and more "accurate" than the Sira, with astonishingly good recovery of cues on the recording environment), but it is quite pricey.

Other, more reasonably priced linestages that I have heard and liked include the Joule 150, and the lower-priced Audionote (uk) models.

Hey! Everyone forgot about the Audible Illusions Modulus3A.
This is an awesome full function preamp. It fulfills your sonic priorities to a "T".
They're built like a tank, sound fantastic and are always available on A-gon at reasonable prices.
You can't go wrong.

ok, are you ready for what iam about to tell you? good! here goes........i have a lamm ll2 deluxe and here is what it takes to make this the last tube preamp you will ever need for a good while. to start off, this amp needs a very good power conditioner and a ps audio premier is not in this class. i have a accuphase ps-500 which i purchased on audiogon for $2700 and was rated 10/10. i consider this pc to be one of the best i've ever had with my gear. next is the amp and with all the tube rolling i've done, the black sable mullard 1950's ECC82/12au7's cryogenically treated and the black sable mullard E88CC/6922 cryogenically treated are truly the best tubes for this amp. one last thing to change with this amp and that is the 25 cent fuse. i replace this cheap fuse with a hifi-tuning fuse and this is needed in order to get the full effect of your power cable. next is the cables........the better your cables are the more your ll2 will express its potential. the front end, my ic is the stealth indra (one of the best ic), and my ic to my amp is the stealth gs 50-50 (another great ic and a good match for the indra). my power cables are the stealth dream which i feel are one of the best pc's you can have plugged into your audio gear. there you have it, if you can fit this setup in your budget, you will not be looking for another preamp. this ll2 does extremely well, in fact this amp is outstanding. before this amp, i had the accuphase c-2800 (great preamp), first sound (another great preamp)and few others top preamps and i would say the ll2 has a slight edge, and would not be there if it wasn't for the mullard tubes. the mullards present extended high's/low's and extreme mid's and since the ll2 has a frequency response range of 400k, it makes these tubes more functional. good day! david picarsic