Dear AC readers:
Thanks for your feedback. I'm getting closer
I think that I have narrowed the list down:
Active:
Marsh P2000 (this unit has gotten great published and confidential reviews)
Odyssey Tempest (Klaus -- what more do you need to say?).
Muse 3 (This is a great unit -- too bad it is also very hard to find).
April Sound DP2000 (I know, this is more than just a preamp, but it is interesting... will the extra features get in the way or enhance the experience? -- unfortunately, without the benefit of an audition, this will be hard to answer).
Passive:
Channel Islands VPC-1 or another one of Dusty's creations. (Great product at a great price).
FT Audio "LW" (This appears to be a real sleeper).
Odyssey's new creation... (Very similar to the Tempest, but passive).
Within the categories, these are probably in "rank-order". The tube options are interesting -- I just don't want to go that route.
My biggest decision right now appears to be active vs. passive. The new passive designs (including the CI Audio and FT Audio) appear to get around many of the drawbacks of the older passive units (loss of dynamics and bass).
If my system can handle the passive unit, I think that I will probably get more bang for the buck with the passive. It might be nice to have a few extra dBs in the preamp, but I don't get the volume control much beyond about 9 or 10 o'clock anyway during "normal" listening -- I don't think that I'm really using the gain-stage in the preamp anyway...
At this point, I think that all the choices on the list are very good, I don't think that I can really make a "wrong" decision
... now, it is probably more about system synegy (very emotional), personal perference (IMHO), and price vs. performance (at least this one is a bit objective).
Any additional thoughts, comments?
Scott.
