Best Preamplifiers: Under $2,000

The reason that audiophiles pass over modestly priced components for higher-priced options is often the “grayness” or perceived lack of resolution and detail of budget gear. There simply isn’t enough there, for an experienced audiophile. That was not an issue with the Schiit Magnius preamplifier and headphone amplifier. Power supply tweakers be warned—the Magnius requires its own AC-to-AC, 1.5-to-2 amp, 14-to-16-volt power supply, instead of a more usual AC-to-DC type. The Magnius’ soundstage characteristics, including depth, image precision, width, and dimensionality, were all exactly what I expect from reference-level component, regardless of price. If you can live with just two inputs, the Magnius may well be all you really need. SS, 311

The Freya+ is a tube-based preamplifier with three output modes: passive, solid-state, and tube (for that sweet, syrupy tube sound). The tube stage is surprisingly quiet and adds just enough tubey magic. There are five inputs, two balanced and three unbalanced, along with one balanced output and two unbalanced outputs. The Freya+ generally sounded best in tube mode, though the solid-state buffer was no slouch. Mids were particularly focused and sweet, while bass remained tight and impactful. Overall, a flexible and solid preamp. DK, 309

Paired with Van Alstine’s Vision SET 120 solid-state power amp, this modestly-priced preamp really wowed reviewer DK, especially its quiet but breezy 6D78 tubes and its Vision phono section, which sounded fantastic. He was instantly impressed by the depth of the soundstage and the general dynamics. DK especially appreciated what sounded like a natural presentation on incredibly unnatural recordings, which was probably this tube preamp keeping things just on the right side of mellow. DK, 290

The AMG PRA is a compact box with two knobs on the front and an LED indicator for channel and volume. The left knob controls the loudness-compensation feature, and the right knob switches between standby mode, line inputs, and adjusts volume. On the back, the STA includes one set of balanced inputs and three unbalanced RCAs along with a balanced and unbalanced RCA out. The STA’s deep and quiet noise floor allows music to absolutely shine with crispness and dynamism. Its flexibility would work well in multiple setups. Sounds particularly good with the NuPrime AMG STA. (319)