JE Audio Reference 1Price: $9000

Website: www.je-audio.com

Doug said: It’s an incredibly good preamplifier for a reasonable price. Its build quality is excellent, its feature set very good, and its sound is out of this world. It’s my top recommendation for preamplifier pleasure for under ten grand.

Reviewers' Choice

Read the SoundStage! Hi-Fi review.

The gist: Tube preamp that sent Doug over the top.