30 day full purchase price refund. Audition one in your own room with your own equipment.

http://www.stereophile.com/axpona2010/affordable_emotiva/index.html

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/preamplifiers/689-emotiva-usp-1-stereo-preamplifier.html

http://www.tonepublications.com/review/the-emotiva-usp-1-preamplifier-and-upa-1-amplifiers/

The Audio Research LS-27 is reasonably priced, considering that it is the best preamp in the world (except for the AR Reference 5); only $6995.

hcsunshine wrote:

anybody got any good ideas for a preamp thats good thats reasonably priced?

I always extoll the value of Lazarus preamps.  They are relatively inexpensive and really really fantastic.  Just rare.  I've had good experience with preamps both solid state, tube, hi-end, and garage sale, etc.  The Arcam A80 integrated that I had for several years was worth every dime as a fet preamp.  Over the years I had it I ran it in to a Rotel RB-981, GTA SE-40, and of course as an integrated.  With a very good phono to boot.  

Even at that, I always come back to my Cascade Basic.  It's a Greg Miller design although Allen Wright claims credit for it as they were supposedly partners intent on merging Vacuum State and Lazarus.  I'm not an engineer, just an avid hobbiest who had to learn to work on the thing because there is no support for it.  When I lay out the circuit on paper it looks a whole lot like a PAS 3.  As of 2010 Wright was posting intent to bring it back using octals. 

I don't know Vacuum State's product line up well enough to know if they ever did so.  Other than the bickering of Wright on AA, I don't know anything about the dynamics of the Miller/Wright relationship, I just know I'm a big fan of the Lazarus products.  That said, the story behind the product leads me to believe you might also be really happy with a Vacuum State preamp if you can't get a listen on a Lazarus.

was left a Lazarus 1500 amp. tube amplifier and a Lazarus cascade basic preamp 25W. Also a Hafler FM tuner.  Any info would be appreciated.

You were LEFT a Lazarus set?  LEFT one!  First be thankful.  Then, invest in a soldering iron and lots of high grade capacitors.  By now they are ready for some new ones.  Then  get on eBay and start collecting 12ax7's and 12au7's.  They are pretty cheap, great sounding, and they all sound a little different, so they can be fun!