Opportunity to buy the best Preamp... but which?

since there are about 500 'best', past and present, spend the money on one you like the sound of and that is made by a company that has a long history and a secure future. many of the models/brands that are beloved for a year or so when they launch, soon are oddities.

The EAR/Yoshino 912 is worth your consideration, especially if you want/need a flexible built in phono stage.

Jfz, the last CTC Blowtorch to be completed is available, although perhaps not for long. It is a classic but is too much trouble to build.

Newly,

Does your list come from personal experience or just guessing based on reputation? I've heard many of the preamps listed and I find huge gaps in performance between these various models. Listing every preamp with a high price tag or a good review doesn't help anyone.

Mojo

Thanks for all the replies!

Let me explain a little - I'm in the market for a new pre-amp with almost no budget constraint. I've heard many of the pre-amps I listed, but not in comparison to one another, except for a couple though not extensively.

I left out from my list some obvious brands, like BAT, Boulder, Einstein, McIntosh, LAMM, Linn, Levinson, because I don't particularly like them sonically.

Having said that, I guess it was obvious to me before my post, and now after so many replies, that choosing from that list is probably a question of "flavour" rather than finding one Good-Better-Best among them.

With that in mind, do you think we've reached the age of Renaissance for Pre-Amp designs? Are there any new designs that leapfrog all these top machines?

Andrew