A preamp recommendation

"I’m looking for a "neutral" preamp that does not emphasize and de-emphasize any frequency range but has just a tiny bit of warmth."

The Benchmark LA4 preamp is my fav but it has no warmth. I love it with my KRELL Dou amp, which is warm. It also is great with a CODA #8 amp, which is slightly warm.

You will not find anything more neutral than that, expect the Topping pre90 that is very similar to the LA4 and much cheaper. The pre90 does not mate well with all amps, while the LA4 is bullet proof. Do not let the low price of the LA4 fool you into thinking it is low quality. I think it is the best preamp out there. I like it totally neutral.

I also own a CODA 07x preamp and it is colored but also a great sounding unit. 

@dracule1 The CODA 07x is warmer than the Benchmark LA4. That warmth to me seems like color. My new tube headphone amp, RAAL VM-1a, is so good that I decided to make some drastic changes today.

I also decided to get the new KEF LS60 (baby Blades) so my Benchmark LA4 and AHB2 are going to be orphaned in the Livingroom.

I will be putting up FOR SALE ads for the following::

- 1 year old CODA 07x preamp with 4 year transferable warranty

- Benchmark AHB2

- Audience FrontRow speaker cables with SPEAKON amp end termination (length suitable for monos).

My office system will be

- Benchmark LA4 preamp (sterile like I like it 😀)

- KRELL DUO 175XD a warm amp

- RAAL VM-1a headphone amp (7 tubes in this work of art)

The reason I had the CODA 07x was because it was the very best preamp for my bright RAAL SR1a headphones. It also is great with my Thiel CS3.7 speakers and all the amps I had with it, A CODA #8, KRELL 175XD, Benchmark AHB2 monos, Parasound A21+, D-Sonic Class D, LSA Voyager GAN 300, and NAD M22 V2 (maybe not so much with the NAD).

The CODA 07x also has dual XLR output that I leveraged for my headphone and 2-channel speakers. However, I like the orphaned sterile LA4 preamp more than the warmer CODA 07x and I love the tube VM-1a over the CODA 07x on the headphones. So no need for the CODA 07x anymore.

The Freya+ is also a fun preamp and really quiet. I was surprised a tube preamp could be so quiet and at that $1K price point. I agree it lacked the detail. 

One new piece of gear that I do not understand how it works is my RAAL VM-1a headphone pre + amp with 7 tubes. I expect it to be noisy and not that detailed. However, it is very quiet and the most detailed gear with the SR1a. It also does not measure that great. The LA4 in-comparison is unlistenable with the SR1a using a 2-channel amp (even a warm amp).

I am talking with someone who is auditioning a LA4 with a $10K mostly neutral DAC. He said that the LA4 and the DAC were a great combo but the DAC direct to amp was slightly better. That is a bit of a surprise to me since I tend to dislike DAC direct to amp and also find it a bit dangerous to use with some DACs. 

I got my CODA 07x preamp listed for sale. I want to get a second LA4 to replace it to make an all-Benchmark stack. I changed my mind on buying the KEF LS60. I am going with my original plan of the Yamaha NS5000 with an all-Benchmark stack. That will sound great. A slightly warm speaker with super neutral gear. 

@abramsmatch I think 9 out of 10 people on A’gon would prefer the CODA 07x. The CODA is not crystal clear or sterile as the LA4. Your comment above that you better have a great amp if you use the LA4 is right on the money. I have an incredible amp, the KRELL Dou 176XD paired with the LA4. This amp is supposed to be 175 Class A watts, if 175 watts are ever needed. It is a super smooth and a somewhat detailed amp. It also has a nice sounding bass, maybe not the tightest but I like it. It is also an amp that newer gets fatiguing.

Wit the LA4 I feel I am hearing just the amp, especially on the top end. With the CODA I feel that it adds some extra bit of sonic character to the KRELL. I think most people would find this adds to a slightly richer or moister sound. I am thinking of cake as I right this 😀 .I was using the CODA 07x with the KRELL for months and liked it but I knew it was not the cleanest KRELL sound.

Another thing that bugged me was that when no music was playing the CODA 07x had a tiny bit of hiss. You need to put your ear near the tweeter to hear it. With the LA4 is it pure silence. That hiss bugs me in a way that is likely irrational, but it does make me think about it. With the LA4 I do not have this irrational concern.

In terms of imaging, bass, soundstage. I cannot tell much difference between the 2. My room is a bit of a limiting factor. I agree with Terry London’s review of the CODA 07x. It is very much like tube based gear but with the benefits of SS gear.

I have come to the conclusion, after a lot of gear changes in the past 2 years, that I want the preamp to do nothing to the sound, such as the LA4 or Topping pre90. I do not mind a DAC adding some flavor nor the amp. My current big speaker are Thiel CS3.7’s which I feel are neutral. My next speakers for my second system will almost certainly be warmer and I am not enthused about using the warm CODA 07x preamp with them. A second LA4 will be what I use.

BTW - to give some context, to my ears, if the Schitt Freya+ is 10/10 in the warmth department, the CODA 07x is 5/10. The LA4 is 1/10

BTW2 - With certain gear the LA4 was unlistenable and fatiguing. I actually sold the Benchmark HPA4 (identical sound to the LA4) because it was awful with my RAAL SR1a headphones (using an amp interface box) and got the CODA 07x. The CODA was the very best preamp to tame the SR1a. I got the Topping pre90 ($799) to get occasionally go back to the HPA4 sound. It was a PIA to use so I sold it and got the LA4. I no longer need the CODA 07x to tame the SR1a since I have something that is made just for the SR1a and it kills the CODA 07x with the SR1a headphone (not a fair comparison).

I use the 07x with 2 systems (headphone and 2-channel) at the same time since it has dual XLR outputs. Some of my comments will be confusing if you do not know about the outputs.

I could have been biased as I hated the remote control function (you needed an add-on laser sight on your remote and special forces training to hit the exact and precise right spot to make the knob turn!).

So that is how to use the pre90 remote, I also had major issues using it. However, the biggest problem with the pre90 (forget what Stereophile says) is that it has volume issues with almost all amps. It worked great with the Benchmark AHB2 and the Parasound A21+. With about 4 other amps it was crap.

When I say the Benchmark LA4 was unlistenable I am only referring to the RAAL SR1a (a great piece). Just bad synergy there. With 2-channel gear the LA4 always worked, unlike the pre90.