preamp

AES AE-3 DJH Signature Preamp

Manek has one. there are other options though. especially for 45k u could also take a look at Electrocompaniet and Prima Luna

For Pre, are you looking forward to a remote ?

If not you will need to decide on Active/Passive !!

either way you can try out Siva and Viren for some Tube stuff which i suspect might just go right with your Monitor Audios.

If you do want a remote then you need to look into audiogon..

Thank you Savyasaachi and Arj.

I had got in touch with Viren some time back, but had to shelve the purchase of a pre for a while.

I am definitely going to consider Viren's preamp, based on everything I have read on this forum.

A remote control will be nice to have, but not necessary. I will need to have the ability to switch between the preamp and the denon receiver output to the poweramp.

Also, the stratos has balanced input in addition to RCA. I currently own a balanced cable from Neutrik. Will it be worthwhile buying a preamp with a balanced output?

I found a good deal for a Rogue Magnum 99 pre on Audiogon. Itching to do an impulsive buy. Any opinion about this preamp? More importanly, will this sounds good with my Odyssey Stratos?

http://www.rogueaudio.com/Products_99.htm
http://www.stereophile.com/tubepreamps/761/

Though a lot of folks feel that it makes no difference, the balanced option made a big difference to the sound in my system..increase in volume, cleaner and more detailed.

You have fantastic amplifier.
Why don’t you look at the preamplifier made for the odyssey amp itself ?
The tempest which is pure symphonic line design or if you can afford it, the candela ? I think the tempest is 1075 $. Preamp matching is very important to get the best out of your amp. Do not buy blind.
Best thing for you would be hang around the odyssey circle at the audiocircle. Register there and post your queries. The designer Klaus and Alex and a bunch of odyssey users are a helpful lot.
http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/index.php?board=10.0
Btw: I feel the odyssey amp deserves a much better speaker than the monitor audio RS6. Klaus Bunge use and show case his amp with the Lorelei speakers which is a pure symphonic line speaker using the scanspeak 8545 woofer and revalator drivers which are in a different league altogether.

Ok

I just sent an email to Klauss from Odyssey requesting pricing and details for the Candela. Thanks Square Wave.

Would the Candela sound better than the Rogue Magnum 99?

I checked on Audio Circle and found that they have a long back order!

About my Mnitor Audio RS6, I will continue to use it for my home theater setup and plan to move stereo gear to a different room next year, will buy new speakers and a DAC then.

I really can’t say which will sound better with the Odyssey because I have not compared the two.
One thing I know from many users on audiocircle is that the odyssey sings fine with both the Tempest and Candela. I suggested the tempest because it is falling somewhere near your budget and you are traveling to the US too. It will be a safe buy.