What Soulution model? Did you connect by XLR or RCA? I'm considering Soulution pre but heard sounds best RCA. Some of my amps are XLR input only.
I have CAT JL7 and one of the best regardless tube or SS. It's unfortunate CAT doesn't get the attention as more popular brands.
i'm running the 721 as i didn't need the phono. it can be upgraded to the 725 as well but something i haven't felt the need to do just yet. i run everything rca and it sounds great to me but i've never tried xlr and never really got into the whole xlr interconnects and balanced amps etc. rca has always worked for me and i'm keeping that can of worms closed
the soulution pre is (as expected at this price) world class. beautiful bass, space, and speed/dynamics. it's a clear window so paired with the right amp you can get that the attributes that soulution is best known for without going as extreme (both $ and transparency wise) as a full soulution stack. in my opinion, outside of the speakers, the pre is the piece that imparts the most tonality in a system so i bought this and originally paired it with the kismet and it was a great combo as well but more lean than the kraft.
the pre itself is probably the finest i've heard and i have 0 desire to change it. every now and then i feel guilty having such an expensive preamp for only 1 input (im digital only) but i remind myself that its a big part of my system despite being "only" a volume control. by the way, adjustable gain has been a very helpful feature for me.
the only pre i've heard that i like as much is the ch l1+x1. crazy money and different tone. the midrange on that is delicate and airy in such a pleasant way. but quality wise the 721 is on par but a bit more of a bottom-up sound. ch is refined to a point that it makes solution seem bombastic and wild. the analogy i like to use is ch is classical music while soulution is rock n roll. granted, that's trying to distill alot into one sentence. if you have any more questions about soulution or ch, feel free to dm me and i'll do my best to offer more details
p.s. for what it's worth. cat pre with sl kraft was a popular combo from what i understand. also the founder of cat ken stevens, once said - forgive me, it's often misquoted but i got to the bottom of this a couple years back - that if he had to choose an ss amp to live with, he'd got for the kraft 400 monos. some people say he said this about the kraft in general but after further digging it seems to be about the 400's. unfortunately, i don't know how the 300 compares to 400's but i'm sure its on the same path at the very least.
p.p.s. this is a quote from klaus on another forum that i was referencing earlier: " Keep in mind that our amps are mini-me Kraft's, but the 250 / 300's are just beasts !!!! In my lifetime I have heard 3 amps that I regard as the best, which are the Kraft's, the CAT sig's, and the Lamm hybrids....ss, tube, hybrid, and all are very similar...now, I also know Rolf, Ken, and Vladimir, and how they approach listening, tweaking and testing, and all 3 amps have been matured over the years, which to me is the real success of all world-class gear....."
