Quote:
I wonder why stereophile has not reviewed any of [Class

The Audio Research LS-16 Mark II is $3500 and is one of the best I have ever heard. I have not heard the new Classe, however, so I would suggest you arrange to somehow auditon both of them them if possible. I do know from personal listening that the LS-16 Mark II sounds better than two of the units rated Class A in the latest Recommended Components, however; I can vouch for that absolutely. I do not understand why Stereophile has not reviewed the LS-16, given its high performance and fairly reasonable price (listening, John?).

Have you considered a BAT (Balanced Audio Technologies) VK-3i? Balanced and unbalanced inputs, $1,995, +$500 for remote, +500 for phono input.

I'm going to toss a vote out for one pre-amp on the used market: the Adcom GFP 750. They sound good, to me, and go for 600 bucks or so.

I'm sure others will be happy to chime in on this piece, too.

Worth a listen!

Also on the used market, the Superphon Revelation II (in space case). Also cheap and startlingly good.

It may even be worth considering some of the headphone amps by headroom, Grace, etc...as possibilities. Many of them have an extra input or two for a cool minimalist system! Great sound at a good price.

If you run into any gear that piques your interest, post it!

I've seen a Pass Aleph P somewhere in the used market.Now that's a great pre but the guy did not tell us what power amp he is using.Just a Cyrus cd player ?!?!?!?

It (the GFP750) is to my ears one of the best sounding preamps in affordable land. It is also a fantastic bargain even new. Used you couldn't possibly go wrong with one.