you can spend a lot of money on one of these things. I've have four different ones of four different sonic levels, and of course the price of them vary greatly. Currently I'm using a Conrad Johnson in my smallish upstairs system. I like the sound very well, but wish it had twenty-five watt amps instead of the eight watt ones it has now. No other changes. I've also had this same system with an ASL 2004 preamp, and it works very well, but the CJ makes it a distant also ran. Somewhere in there I also had a B&K and an Adcom; these units make perfect door stops! Although the B&K did have a pretty good tuner section.
Down stairs I have used the good old C&J, and up and untill recently a Quicksilver line stage. The Quicksilver isn't bad, but the C&J is just slicker (does that make any sense?). Never the less I'm now in the process of breaking in a very new Odyssey Candella line stage. Let me tell you all here that this preamp is a steal at $2K! Very nice in everyway. Not quite as slick as the C&J, but with more slam, already better imaging, and the best piano I've yet to hear period. It makes the Quicksilver it replaced into another doorstop! In the first eight hours I noticed the drums actually sounded like drums, and what may well be the best trumpet I've yet to ever hear. The tenor sax is starting to come alive (I have about 16 hours on it right now), and the stage is growing left and right
(started out a little narrow). But I also forgot to tell you about the kicker here! It cost $1000!!
gary
