I am guiding the hand of an old friend as she pursues her first real steps into Audio Nervosa. She is working on assembling a high-ish end system, piecing it together by identifying the right equipment, then patiently waiting until the right deal comes along on it. I have been successfully advising her, but I've run into a bit of a stumbling block. She's decided, wisely so, that she wants a used McIntosh preamp, but aside form acknowledging the greatness that Mac is, I have very little knowledge of the actual products and their nuances.
She was eying an MX130...a six channel THX video monster that she plans to neuter to 2 channel. I don't like the idea of it.
Her budget is $1000-$1200. Requirements: Headphone output; phono section. Preferences: Two channel, Remote control. Tube is OK. Solid State is OK. Old is OK, but new(er) is preferred. Her choice of speakers is B&W 802 Matrix Series 2. She is currently running Rotel mono blocks (which aren't terrible) driving some awful Infirmity floor speakers. She also plans to upgrade the amp soon.
Which pre's do you recommend?