Sony MDR-7506 headphones 

These $100 (or less on the street) closed-back wired headphones outperform many models at 3-5 times the price. That’s largely because Sony did a reasonable job of following the Harman curve that is often used to approximate the effect of your outer ear on frequency response. The MDR-7506 has a few drawbacks, but so does practically every headphone.  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50X headphones 

Audio-Technica offers a closed-back, wired headphone that sounds quite good. At $150, we consider it a worthwhile step up in frequency balance and comfort from the Sony MDR-7506. But, if you’re really on a tight budget, the Audio-Technicas are mathematically almost twice the price. And we think you should be the judge between the Sony and the Audio-Technica because the differences between headphones, with their inevitable deviations from perfect and human-to-human differences, may play to your hearing differently than they did to ours. 

Korf HS-A02 Ceramic Headshell 

If you are using a standard removable headshell, this would seem to be the one to beat. We like removable headshells because they make cartridge swapping fairly easy and they save the expense of multiple arms. The Korf has good mechanical rigidity measurements and is reasonably priced at $215 or thereabouts.  

AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt Amp/DAC 

We generally recommend wired headphones, because Bluetooth by design imposes severe data rate limitations on your music. Wired headphones generally perform better with an amplifier and you can certainly get a better DAC than the one in your phone or PC. The Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt addresses all these issues in a tiny, easy to carry package. The Dragonfly amp works with higher sensitivity headphones and the onboard ESS DAC chips are impressive. At $329.95 (or lower on the street) the form factor plus sound quality are easily recommended.  

Fluance RT81 Turntable 

If you are interested in investigating the “vinyl thing” or need to replace an old turntable without breaking the bank, the Fluance RT81 is an excellent place to start your shopping. This turntable is nicely finished, comes with the Audio-Technica AT95E cartridge, a favorite of Fremer’s, and has a built-in phono preamp. At $249.99 it is an amazing deal and delivers key elements of the analog magic with simple, but careful, setup.  

Audioquest Powerquest 303 AC Conditioner 

You can spend thousands on power conditioning and, once you have a feeling for how electrical signals actually work, you might be open to that idea. Some people can’t go there, either intellectually or financially, and for them Audioquest offers the $459.95 PowerQuest 303. This can be the AC hub of a reasonably-sized system with the security of linear noise-dissipation filtering designed by a real power delivery expert – Audioquest’s Garth Powell. Having a hub like this is also a great enabler to have a common grounding point for all your gear.  

Stein Music The Perfect Interface Carbon mat 

We have had good luck with LP to platter interfaces that are on the firm side. When such a mat isn’t stock (as it is on some ‘tables) both Michael Fremer and I have had a good experience with the Stein Music Perfect Interface Carbon mat. It is made from a special Japanese paper and seems to slightly tighten up the image and the bass from various turntables. For $468, this is a worthwhile tweak for already refined and well-set-up vinyl systems. 

Focal Bathys Headphones 

At $699, the Focal Bathys headphones are around twice the price of the well-established wireless headphones from Sony and Bose and Apple. But from a sound quality standpoint, we’d say they are also “so much better”. One way the Focals are better is in frequency response. The Focals just seem to follow the difficult Harman curve for HRTF correction more closely than less expensive models. Music sounds deep, balanced and clear without stabbing you with a knife in the upper range. And, the Focal Bathys can be connected via a cable when you are in the office or at home, so that you can get around the horrible data rate limitations of Bluetooth that the tech community has imposed on the world.  

Magnepan LRS+ speakers 

This one is kind of a miracle of modern science. The $999 Magnepan LRS+ offers more than a taste of what the high-end can do at 10X its price point. From the upper bass to the upper treble, the LRS+ is detailed and balanced. As a dipole, it can image with the best when properly set up in a small to medium room. Like all dipoles, it is bass-shy, but we there are subwoofer solutions available and more coming to address this. The LRS+ also likes a powerful amp, though these can be had without breaking most banks.  

Brinkmann Audio Marconi MkII

$14,490

When contrasted with much more expensive equipment from CH Precision, Boulder and Ypsilon, the Brinkmann preamplifier doesn’t quite have their magnanimity of sound, grip, and airiness. CH Precision produces a cavernous black space that seems unrivaled. Boulder has a degree of control that is unique to it. And Ypsilon lights up the soundstage. But Brinkmann comes remarkably close and has its own set of virtues. It has a dynamism and smooth continuity that are immensely beguiling. It represents formidable German engineering allied to a profound sense of musicality that will be difficult for most listeners to resist.

MBL N11

$16,500

With seven inputs (five RCA, two XLR) and seven outputs (four RCA, three XLR) as well as an optional phonostage, the Noble Line N11 is equipped to handle just about everything in your system. What makes this single-stage preamp stand out is its remarkable “unity gain” volume control, which lowers the amount of boost applied to incoming signals and thereby audibly lowers noise, increases transparency and resolution, and expands dynamic range. A sonically remarkable bit of engineering.

VAC Signature IIa

$18,000

Kevin Hayes has outdone himself with the Signature IIa preamp. Transformer-coupled, completely balanced, hand-wired with no coupling capacitors or negative feedback, the full-function model has four line inputs and a tubed phonostage with mm/mc inputs, a separate power transformer, dedicated filter circuitry, and variable impedance loading. And the sound is gorgeous.

VTL TL-6.5 Series II Signature

$18,000

The TL6.5 Series II Signature is a significantly updated version of VTL’s TL6.5 Signature preamplifier. The VTL design team’s goal for the Series II was to incorporate most of the advanced technology found in the company’s flagship preamp, the TL7.5 Series III Reference—a hybrid, two-chassis (separate power supply) model—in a single chassis. The application of this advanced technology has certainly improved sonics (and ergonomics). Musically natural and measurably superior, the TL-6.5 Series II maximizes all that tubes do well, while minimizing their shortcomings.

FM Acoustics FM 155-MKIIR

$19,750 

Like its companion pieces, the FM 108-MKII monoblocks and the FM 122-MKII phonostage, this compact Class A linestage preamplifier is one of FM’s most affordable products. As with the amp and phonostage, it too preserves the native sound, the number, and the receptivity patterns of the mikes being used in recording sessions, along with a clear sense of the dimensions and ambient signature of the venue in which those mikes have been set up. And yet this transparency to setup and source isn’t being bought at the price of an analytical presentation. On the contrary, there is a musical sweetness to the way the FM 155 reveals instrumental and recording essentials that makes for consistently enjoyable listening.

T+A P3100HV

$19,900

T+A’s top preamplifier is a significant redesign of its predecessor. The HV in the model name denotes the high-voltage power-supply rails (100V), which T+A says leads to more linear operation of the transistors. Those transistors are hand matched JFETs mounted on a complex circuit board that compensates for temperature variation. The P3100HV has exceptional command and grip in the bass, with tremendous depth, power, and authority. It’s also very fast, conveying music’s dynamism.

Boulder Amplifiers 1110

$21,000

Boulder Amplifiers’ 1110 is the sweet spot in the line, offering much of the technology, sound quality, and battleship build of the company’s higher-end 2100 and flagship 3000 line. More than just a source-switcher and volume control, the 1110 is a highly advanced computer-controlled, network-connected component with one of the most advanced feature sets of any preamplifier regardless of price. The 1110 has exceptional detail and transparency, a superb sense of air, “live” dynamics, tight but powerful and realistic bass, and a broad soundstage with excellent width and a depth that is just slightly forward compared to much of the competition.

Constellation Revelation Pictor

$22,000

As a deft amalgamation of Constellation’s upper-level technology with some of the cost-saving measures from the lower-level series, the Pictor delivers overall performance closer to that of the more expensive Virgo III than expected for its asking price. With an external power supply and optional DC Filter chassis, the Pictor presents a decisive visual statement commensurate with its sound: open, transparent, dynamically alive, tonally neutral, and musically coherent. The soundstage expands beyond what is typical for a solid-state linestage and imaging is solid, three dimensional, and specific—just shy of tube-like in this regard. A wonderful linestage.

Audionet Pre G2

$23,350

With a rated bandwidth of DC–2MHz and thoughtful features like 18dB of variance per input for level-matching sources as well as source-naming, the DC-coupled PRE G2 is as versatile as it is sonically accomplished. Characterized by its exceptional transparency and resolution, it is one of the most organic and natural-sounding solid-state linestages GW has auditioned. It plays music from any source with impeccable linearity, sophisticated finesse, and spot-on tonality, rendering exquisitely and accurately scaled dynamic involvement at any volume level.

D’Agostino Master Audio Systems Progression 350 Stereo/550 Mono 

$24,950 ($29,950 with DAC module)/$44,950 pr.

The Progression preamplifier may not have quite the visual cachet of the company’s Momentum preamplifier but it’s nonetheless a stunning bit of industrial design. The power supply is isolated from the audio electronics in an ingenious arrangement that tucks the supply underneath the main chassis. Two large meters and a gorgeous volume control dominate the front panel. An optional digital module features a differential DAC compatible with PCM up to 384kHz and DSD256. The signal path is discrete and fully complementary from input to output with no negative feedback. The Progression has a midrange liveliness and resolution that bring out low-level information in strings and woodwinds without hardening the timbre of violin or brass. Low-level passages are unusually clear. The DAC module is excellent and easily worth the asking price.

Zanden Audio Systems 3000mk2

$26,000

The all-glass-powered Zanden Classic trio (2000mk2 linestage, 1200mk3 phonostage, and 9600mk2 monoblock power amplifier) will get you where you want to go—i.e., the sound of the real thing—without forcing you to pay a heavy toll in listenability on less-than-SuperDisc recordings. This consistent listenability is one of the Zanden Classic suite’s sonic virtues. It is not a typical overlay of tubey-ness; indeed, for tube gear the Zanden 3000mk2 sounds remarkably precise. It is focused, grain-free, and a little Class A “dark” in timbre, without any bottom-end plumminess. Indeed, the bass of the Zanden 3000mk2 (particularly in combination with its sister phono- stage and brother power amp) is truly superb—richly (and accurately) colored, three-dimensional, bloomy, clear-as-solid-state in pitch, near transistor-quick and powerful on transients, and immensely detailed in performance cues. A TAS Product of the Year winner.

Lamm Industries L2.1 Reference

$28,990

The L2.1 Reference is a hybrid design but not in the usual sense. The power supply is all tube while the audio circuit is solid-state. MOSFETs are used in Class A, no-feedback circuitry for the gain and buffer stages. Sonically, the L2.1 is clearly deserving of the “Reference” appellation, holding up as it does a mirror to the music. It cuts through previous limitations of solid-state preamplification allowing the music to flow with precision and emotional conviction.

MBL 6010 D

$30,000

This superb solid-state preamp has a noise floor so incredibly low that it consistently resolves fine harmonic and dynamic details that simply aren’t audible through other great preamps. At the same time its transient speed and authority are highly realistic. To ice the cake, it is neutral in tonal balance, with excellent imaging and soundstaging, and superior ambience retrieval. One of JV’s longstanding references.

VTL TL-7.5 Series III Reference

$30,000

VTL’s linestage is the best one it has produced. Its transient fidelity, dynamic power, enormous soundstage, and sheer grip are mesmerizing. Like its predecessors, the 7.5 features an ingenious “clean” and “dirty” box to prevent the signal from becoming contaminated by noisy parts. But there the similarities end. The Series III version of the 7.5, which features a host of upgraded parts and improved circuit design, has conquered the slight bit of electronic grain that the Series II version displayed.

Absolare Passion

$31,000 ($40,000, Signature Edition) 

This ultra-minimalist single-ended triode preamplifier is about as tweaky as a preamplifier gets, with an extremely simple signal path, just four unbalanced inputs, no remote control, and two unmarked front-panel knobs (volume and input selection). The circuit is built using cost-no-object parts and techniques and housed in a massive aluminum chassis clad in rich leather. Sonically the Passion is very much like the companion Passion 845 power amplifiers, with a complete lack of grain, etch, and solid-state glare overlying timbres. The treble is just a little on the forgiving side, a quality that complements the tendency toward brightness of some dome tweeters. Soundstaging is phenomenal—wide, deep, transparent, and three-dimensional.

CH Precision L1

$34,500 ($51,500 with X1 power supply; $92,000 dual monaural/dual supply)

Like its companion piece, the CH Precision M1 monoblock amplifiers, this exceptional, dual-monaural, ultra-low-noise, ultra-high-bandwidth, fully balanced line-level preamplifier is a contender for Best in Solid-State. Designed by the Swiss team of Florian Cossy and Thierry Heeb, the L1 is a model of timbral neutrality, high transient speed, high detail, precision (though not razor-cut) imaging, and wall-to-wall soundstaging. The L1 may not have the bass of the Soulution 725 (and it does not come with a dandy built-in phonostage like the Soulution unit does), but it is certainly its equal in other regards—and its superior in low-level resolution.

Pass Labs Xs

$38,000

An all-out challenge to the state of the art and every other preamp available. Wayne Colburn and Nelson Pass have truly excelled in producing this massive two-unit preamp. It does everything right in every aspect of sound quality and is so revealing of musical detail that you must listen closely to realize how good it is. AHC could not find any flaw by comparison with other top preamps, and its extraordinarily low noise floor and natural, detailed deep bass have few, if any, rivals. 

Constellation Virgo III

$39,000 

Save for the Technical Brain TBC-Zero, JV has never heard a faster, more detailed preamp than this high-tech gem (which uses the same circuit as the $85k Altair, albeit with slightly less pricey component parts). But where most solid-state preamps tend to trade off tone color for resolution and speed (or vice versa), this one doesn’t. Given the right source and the right speaker, the Virgo sounds ravishingly beautiful and astonishingly realistic.

D’Agostino Master Audio Systems Momentum HD 

$40,000

This drop-dead gorgeous, all-discrete, Class A, solid-state linestage preamp from master engineer Dan D’Agostino is far too neutral and accurate to compensate for the colorations in other pieces of gear. It does not have a characteristic sound that shapes the music. Instead, it seems to free music from such distortions, getting the best of detail, dynamics, soundstage, and imaging. In the end, reviewer AHC had trouble describing this marvelous preamp, for any “sound” of its own simply wasn’t there. A state-of-the-art effort.

Tidal Prisma 

$41,000

The solid-state Prisma preamplifier is a minimalist design taken to an extreme of execution. The innovative circuits are realized with no-compromise build-quality, particularly the elaborate, discrete-resistor stepped-attenuator. The minimalist theme extends to its black polished-acrylic front panel, which includes just a volume control and a source selector—no balance control, no on/off switch (it’s part of the source selector), and no display. Inputs and outputs are balanced only, including the phono input. As great as the Prisma is as a linestage, its phono section (moving coil only, with only two gain settings) is spectacular. The Prisma’s unique topology reduces by nearly half the circuitry of a conventional phonostage/linestage; the result is clarity and transparency coupled with a lush timbral rendering devoid of electronic artifacts.

Audionet Stern

$45,000

At 19.88” deep, the Stern is more feature rich than its predecessor (the PRE G2), starting with a 7″ wide by 4½” tall high-resolution display centered on the upper half of its front face. Sonically, its purity, transparency, tone color, and especially texture are exquisite. Like its companion Heisenberg amp, the Stern simply breathes life into the audio spectrum, reproducing musicians with remarkable realism. Its ability to create a genuine sense of the body, bloom, and texture of instruments is only matched by the lifelike fidelity with which it reproduces transient detail and timbre. 

Esoteric Grandioso C1X

$46,000

The sumptuous C1’s weighty control knobs bathe in a soft blue glow that brightens when you touch them, and the speed at which you turn the volume control affects the rate of volume change. It’s almost enough to make you forego the beautifully honed remote. Sonically, music pours from the C1 with uncommon smoothness and effortlessness. Dynamic emphases really pop. In keeping with the Grandioso stack’s theme of purity, the C1’s sound is free of any specter of electronics. 

Atma-Sphere MP-3

$5490 ($6400 with balanced phono) 

This no-frills tubed preamp from Atma-Sphere is a must-hear for the purist music lover. Offering a crystal-clear, smooth, and concise window on the music, the MP-3’s expansiveness is a perfect match for both tube and solid-state amplification. Balanced-only operation, phono optional.

Bryston BP26 with MPS2

$5860

The BP26 is a fully featured preamp with a tape loop, a mono/stereo toggle, a mute toggle, a channel balance control, a motorized volume pot, an input selector, and a feature one does not find very much anymore—a phase-inversion toggle. Remote control is a $375 option. The BP26 has both balanced/XLR and unbalanced/RCA inputs and outputs and a ¼” headphone jack. The BP26 sounds musical and engaging with fabulous rhythmic drive and momentum. It is tonally neutral with an open quality that does not veer toward edgy or forced. It imparts a sure-footed foundation with good bass extension and control. The Bryston’s musicality is more along the lines of a winning, agile tunefulness, than a musicality derived from a beguiling, silky lusciousness. 

Aesthetix Calypso/Calypso Signature

$6000/$8500

The all-tube Calypso delivers most of the performance of Aesthetix’ two-box $13,000 Callisto linestage for about a third the price. Sonically, the Calypso is characterized by extremely good dynamics and dynamic nuance. Although the treble is smooth and somewhat laid-back, transparency and resolution are first-rate. Noise floor is highly dependent on tube quality, which has been variable. Competes with the megabuck preamps. The Signature version improves on the Calypso’s already terrific performance with an expanded soundstage, richer portfolio of instrumental textures, more air, longer decays, and better-defined bass. AT found that the Signature version imparted a warmer cast to timbres. 

Pass Labs XP-12

$6100

The XP-12 line-level preamp forgoes dual-chassis extravagance but sonically you wouldn’t know it. Music abounds with stunning orchestral layering and complex three-dimensional soundspace vistas. There’s a level of harmonic bloom across the spectrum, most notably in the infusion of resonance and decay cues around strings and winds. Anchored by the precision of Wayne Colburn’s single-stage electronic volume control from the Xs line, the XP-12 produced an almost eerie sense of music spontaneously bursting forth in the here and now. An outright bargain. 

Aesthetix Janus/Janus Signature

$8000/$11,500

The Janus combines Aesthetix’ Calypso linestage with a scaled-down Rhea phonostage in a single chassis. The Signature version features upgraded parts in the identical circuit. The units share numerous qualities: speed and detail; a low noise floor; precise rhythms; dynamics that are almost reference-caliber; and a laid-back perspective. The quiet background and smooth highs add up to long hours of glorious, fatigue-free listening. 

McIntosh C53

$8000

McIntosh’s C53 preamplifier replaces a whole shelf-full of components, rolling a state-of-the-art linestage, phono- stage, DAC, equalizer, and headphone amp into a single elegant, albeit large box, with no compromises in performance. With 16 inputs and three outputs, the C53’s connectivity is unrivaled, its DAC supporting every popular digital format, plus an ARC HDMI input that correctly decodes and mixes down movie and TV sources for those who demand first-class AV reproduction through their two-channel setups. Its two phonostages are good enough to obviate the need for separates. In addition to all this, the C53 offers battleship construction and looks that just radiate class, taste, and style. One of PS’ reference preamplifiers. 

Lamm Industries LL2.1

$8490 ($8790, deluxe version)

This all-tube linestage preamp (with tube rectification) captures 80% of the sound of price-no-object preamps for a fraction of their cost. Never in-your-face analytical, the LL2.1 frames details organically within the fabric of the music. Treble, bass, and transparency can be improved by using the right after-market tubes. 

MBL Cadenza C11

$9200

With civilized sonics, both airy and open, dynamics that are lively, and dimensionality and imaging that are exceptional, the C11 is a joy to use in concert with other Cadenza gear, where control and communication via Ethernet link is glitch-free. It is also equipped with one of the most sonically transparent analog volume controls (via a motorized potentiometer) that we’ve come across. 

Pass Labs XP-22 

$9500

The XP-22 is a significant upgrade from the previous model in this slot. Based on new semiconductors and a new volume control, the two-chassis XP-22 vaults the performance into another league. The dual-mono power supplies feature double-shielded toroidal transformers for even lower noise. The output stage is more robust, with the ability to drive long cable runs. The XP-22 is so transparent that it improves upon the sound of running a source component directly into a power amplifier—not something every linestage can claim. Musically meaningful detail and resolution are excellent. If the recording possesses the information, the rendering of space can be dramatic and dynamics startling. 

VTL TL-5.5 Series II Signature

$9500

Initially introduced in 1997, VTL’s latest TL-5.5 Series II Signature has been seriously improved using technologies found in the flagship TL-7.5 Reference Series III ($30,000) and TL-6.5 Signature Series II ($18,000). But those are linestage-only hybrid designs; the 5.5 is all-tube with a fine optional phonostage. It delivers an impressive sense of the musicians’ presence, with seamless bottom-to-top tonal coherence, dynamic push, and resolution that create a thrilling sense of aliveness and of the music-making process.

Mark Levinson N^o 5206 

$9900

Part of the more affordable (for Mark Levinson) 5000 Series, the N^o5206 sports a host of advanced circuits and features. The dual-monaural signal path is direct coupled and pure Class A in operation. The audio path features a single gain stage mated to a digitally controlled resistor-ladder volume control. The N^o5206 is fitted with an integral DAC with MQA decoding and rendering and Bluetooth connectivity; the unit can handle PCM up to 384kHz/24-bit as well as DSD up to 11.2MHz. The N^o5206 even includes a headphone jack with enough current drive to power any ’phones. The icing on the cake is an outstanding mm/mc phonostage featuring a hybrid gain technology with an infrasonic filter and unusually comprehensive cartridge-loading adjustment. The preamp is superb with low-level passages, with resolution limited only by the source, not the preamplifier itself. 

Yamaha C-5000

$9999

Yamaha put some heart and soul into its return to the audio deep end. While the NS-5000 speakers and GT-5000 turntable are likely to attract most of the 5000 Series attention, the C-5000 preamplifier deserves its own spotlight. This fully balanced, solid-state preamp incorporates a wonderful, fully discrete phonostage with a massive 80dB of potential gain. There’s a feeling of a signal unimpeded. The C-5000 doesn’t require a sonic counterbalance elsewhere in the system. It also happens to be one of the most rewarding components to just put your hands on and use. An interesting and unique option in high-end preamplifiers, especially if a turntable is an important part of your system.

Elac Navis ARB51 Active Loudspeaker

$2299

I make no apologies for my fondness for active loudspeakers. Guilty as charged. When well executed, as the Elac Navis most certainly is, the entire bundle of internals—amps, crossovers, and transducers—have been optimized to work with one another in a way that passive designs struggle to match, at least until prices reach into the fat five-figure range. Elac’s tri-amplified, three-way compact is not only beautifully finished, but it also establishes an uncommonly rich, full-bodied voice and projects a warm, cozy aura throughout the midrange. With its concentrically mounted midrange/soft-dome tweeter and a 5″ woofer, inter-driver coherence is excellent and fully integrated. The Elac conveys a weighty and dynamic “bottom-up” sound that suggests a speaker that not only doesn’t need coddling but actually dares you to crank it up. A hallmark of active bass is the way its steely grip hangs onto rhythm tracks and orchestral percussion, like kettle drums or organ pedal points. Vocal image scale is a particular stand-out; with your eyes closed, it suggests a loudspeaker that is considerably larger than its 13″ height. Again, active forces at work. Further, fans of choral music will revel in the clarity and individuation of massed voices. One of the rare small compacts where you don’t have to scale back expectations.