Used VAC Super? Moscode 401orBelles Reference 350?

Thanks Maineiac
I have talked to kevin also and he did mention great things ahead for the new avatar. He wasnt sure when exactly it would be introduced. He mentioned if all goes well, it could be near Q4 of this year. I will be patient and keep my eyes opened for a used avatar super. I have to buy a complete system from the ground up and my budget for everything is 10k to 15k tops.

Jaybo..i want to look at different pre amps too. Lets say i went with a moscode which is 1k more than the belles reference. I have aprox 2k+ left over for the pre. I have considered looking at different tube or ss pre amps. I also want to consider a placette passive pre amp to start to see how it would sound. Are their any pre amps new or used i should consider for the $$$ i should listen to?

FWIW, I use a Lamm LL2 Deluxe with my Moscode 401HR. I can also suggest a First Sound Presence Deluxe II, which I have also owned and is outstanding in it's own right. Different flavors, with the First Sound being the more neutral of the two. Both can be found around $2500 used.

The Moscode has high input gain, so you do not need a preamp with high output gain. The Placette would work just fine.

As I say, FWIW...

Awsome Tvad
This is great info that im looking for. I want to try the placette passive because it sounds like a fun product to try. Do you have any experience with it? I will most definetly look into the Lamm ive heard several good things about that manufacture. What do you like most Lamm LL2 or First Sound Presence Deluxe II? And can you describe the difference? I mentioned before im looking to get as close to transparent, 3d, deep & wide, extended high's and mids with air around each instrument with good balance with out it being to harsh.

The First Sound Presence Deluxe II created the largest and deepest image I have heard in my system. However, it was also a bit too bright in the highs for my taste, although I never heard the First Sound combined with the Moscode. I was using a VAC Phi 110/110 at the time. I suspect the highs might have been sweeter with the Moscode as I now have it configured with Mullard 6922 and 12AU7 tubes. I wish I had tried Mullard 6922 tubes in the First Sound, but I never did.

The Lamm LL2 is the preamp I kept, and I did hear it with both the VAC and the Moscode. It makes music. Pure and simple. The image is not quite as large or as wide as the one created by the First Sound, but the Lamm makes you forget about analyzing the system, and it allows you to enjoy the music (as does the Moscode). After having gone through a period of uber resolution during which I was constantly obsessed about the system's sound, I am now instead enjoying listening to music, and for me that's what it's about.

I've never heard the Placette as far as I know. I seem to recall that perhaps Moscode used a Placette at an audio show I attended. I was not thrilled with the sound of the Moscode room at that show, but I heard enough potential to encourage me to give the Moscode a home audition after which I purchased the amp.