Another Nod to Demeter Here
I paid 950.00 USD for my Demeter VTMP-2B used. After having it for over a year, I can say that I would have paid three times the price I gave for it. It provides me with two channels of exceptionally clear and musical sound which compliments my Great River NV's perfectly. Armed thusly I can tackle just about any recording task.
For some reason James Demeter's outboard gear doesn't get the rabid support that other gear gets here at the Slutz. But reading a client list of Demeter outboard gear tells a pretty good story.
Also check out his new VTMP-2C, the newer version of the pres I have. It has better metering than the model I have, and it is one Slutty-Assed looking piece to boot.
BUT....
What kinda music to you intend to record? Do you want a lot of tube color, or something bigger-than-life, or are you looking for a more clear and transparent preamp? Do you have other preamps? Are they clean or agressive? Solid State or Tube? Answers to these questions would dictate which direction I would take toward another tube preamp. Specifically, if I already had some clean preamps I would want my next ones to be more agressive, etc....and tube preamps are as varied as solid state models....
Good possible pairings:
>A pair of Grace 101s or a 201 w/ a pair of Vintech x73 or a 1272
>A pair of Demeter VTMPs and a pair of Great River NVs
>A pair of UA 610s and a pair of Specks
....the idea being to cover the sonic spectrum between the two...Good luck hunting!
M