Top ten tube preamps

Wyetech Opal. Timeless and legendary, with good reason. It's alive!

Neal

Saying the ARC Ref3 is the worst tube preamp you ever heard is a remarkable statement. I would consider myself fortunate if it were the worst I ever heard.

I can only rank based on what I've heard in my system:

1) SMc Audio VRE-1
2) Lamm L2 Reference
3) Conrad Johnson CT5
4) Lamm LL2 Deluxe
5) First Sound Presence Deluxe II
6) Atma-Sphere MP-1 MK III
7) ARC Reference 3
8) Juicy Music Peach
9) Modwright SWL 9.0SE
10) Audio Horizons TP2.1 Balanced

That Lamm LL2 Deluxe was a real sleeper, and I never knew why, maybe too "cheap" for folks to believe it could be as good as it is - I wish I had not sold that one. "Low prices" might be a "problem" for linestages like the Lightspeed Attenuator from Australia which will give any of the tube linestages mentioned in this thread a run for their money in the right system, and at $450, I mean that literally.

BAT Rex currently occupies the coveted position in my system...I'd like to audition Atma-Sphere, VAC, and Win Analog :-)

Best regards,
Sam