Anyone famaliar with the manufacturer,and in particular this pre amp.The credentials and testimonials seem impressive.The advertised 10 day audition is appealing.
Hey, my bad. I was concentrating on those wooden knobs. Anyone cares to describe the sonic characteristics of 2.0 or 2.1 for me. I just sold my Supratek line stage and replaced it with full preamp with decent phono section. On top of that Mick of Supratek close the curtains on his HiFi adventures which might be the fall of the legendary design which brought so many satisfy users and followers . Right now I am sort of screaming into the hollow well in expectation to find the voice of reason. Fine tuning the rig was quaite a challenge but very exiting and satisfying experience in the same time. My biggest problem right now is in preamp department. So tell me if I am knocking on the right door or should I look someplace else. I liked Suprate's speed, transparency, dynamics and musicality. One thing that bothered me was a slight coloration, sort of edginess or harshness. Don't get me wrong, I loved it but couldn't get it right, no matter what I did or tried. Fellow member suggested that it could have been the signature characteristics of the silver wiring...... Well, I am not sure what cause it, what I do know is that it is gone. Not exactly sure about my latest addition. It is still breaking in my secondary system. But I am open for something new, if it could improve my rig in any way.
Thanks for honest respond and/or other recommendations
I thought everyone had died and gone to heaven with their Audio Horizons preamps. I still haven't got the 2.1 in yet. I'll have more to say later.
Has anyone directly compared the 2.1 with the de havilland Ultraverve? I'll probably order one if the AH doesn't work out but I'm reluctant as there is nowhere to audition the UV.
I'm running Rogue M-150 monoblocks and Dali Mentor 6 speakers. I tried the Rogue 99 Magnum pre and was surprized at how veiled and lifeless it was after all the good press it has gotten. I'm using the 66 Magnum and while not as resolving as the 99 it certainly sounds more alive. So, onward and upward( I hope).
Thanks for the great response! $795 is too much right now for the B version and I was hoping I could hold off for awhile.
The best advice anyone can suggest is to take advantage of the home trial and see if the AH is your cup of tea. The thread is long and testimonials are too not give it a try, so decision time buddy. Which version is irrevelant IMHO since we are talking small differences that may not be necessarily improvements with the exception of going fully balanced through your entire "system".
Oddio I ordered the B version of the 2.0 AH with the full intent to send it back if I could not tell the difference because $795 is substantial to me. Actually mine is a 1/2 B version as I only can go balanced to my amp and not from my DAC. Well, in direct back and forth comparing of RCA and Balanced outputs I was very impressed that both were great and yet the balanced was better in my system. My non-audiophile brother also immediately noticed the difference with the balanced seeming more holographic and lifelike despite both version being great on dynamics, nuance etc. It was one of those situations that if I had not heard the B version I would have been blown away by the n version and perfectly happy with it. It could have been my IC's (one meter runs) . For the B version I used Joseph's IC's; for the RCA I used silver Guerilla Cable. But I suspect it is because of the high quality of the transformers used in the B version. I hope you enjoy your Ah when it comes. Let us know. Joe
Oddioo, Since you have the "n" version on its way, enjoy it in your system for a while. Later on, if you feel the urge to go balanced with the bigger transformers in the nB version( remember that you'll need balanced interconnects) you can always upgrade at any time. Like I said, I'm perfectly content with the original 2.0n version. Also, if you hadn't done it yet, start at the beginning of this thread and read through its entirety. There're a lot of posts in there commenting on the different versions along with comparisons to other preamps. Hey, if the preamp doesn't work for your system you can always return it and give the Ultraverve a try. I'm not familiar with your Rogue monoblocks or your Dali speakers, so you might ask Joseph or Victor how they feel about the preamp's compatibility. Have fun.
The amps are 150 watts each with 4 6550 power tubes each and 12au7 & 12ax7 in the driver section. My spkrs are small floorstanders with 2 6.5" mid/woofs and Dali's trademark ribbon/soft dome hybrid tweeter module. The amp/spkrs have more to give so it's the preamp's lucky day.
The AH DAC-2A and the amps are balanced so I'd like a preamp with XLR in/outputs. (Try and find a quality balanced pre under $4000 new.)
I've been following (lurking?) this thread since the 2.0 hit the streets. You're right La45. It's 'decision time'.
Hopefully Joseph is back in the country so we can get rolling on this. Thanks again for all the comments.
Mrjstark, Two of the club members,myself being one,replaced our Supratek Syrahs with the AH.Having said that,Supratek pre amps are a work of art,it would be a big loss to audio enthusiasts if Mick pulled the plug on production.
Hello Mark, thank you very much and O...88 for your respond and especialy O...88 for taking his time and willingness to answer my question as well as some very interesting recommendations ( I'll contact you & thank you privatly ).
Actually, I am and will contact AH for a chance to audition any one of demo units available (I would like to try some beat up unit becouse even if I decided to go with AH, I would like to build it the way it would worked best with my system . I have no problem paying shipping if it is what I am looking for. I would not want to cause the owner of AH any extra troubles building a custom piece and/or unnecessary expenses). But it will have to wait until installation of central a/c is completed. But in short, yes in near future. Why not......
I hate to see this thread dying out, so I'll post that I'm still enjoying my original TP 2.0n preamp. One thing that I never mentioned, for those fervently following this thread, is that when I originally downgraded back to my original 2.0n version after having upgraded to the 2.1n version, is that the last thing I did was change back to the original wire harness and in my ever-so-humble opinion, the original wire harness is much more musical with that elusive "breath of life" quality compared to the newer wire harness. YMMV.
Thanks, Grant. I try to be diplomatic about things and I do my best not to bad-mouth products whether they need it or not. I always remember the old saying that " one man's trash is another man's treasure." We all have our own set of unique ears and listening preferences. I have to be honest, though, and when I give my honest opinion about something, even though it might go against the grain, I feel better about saying it. Since this hobby is a passion for me, I do my best to speak from the heart. And I try to remember to protect myself by adding the YMMV( Your mileage may vary) addendum.
Hi Luis, Long time no talk with. My amplification is a pair of VAC Auricle Musicblocs( no longer in production, but recently returned from VAC with some current resistor upgrades used in the PHI line). My speakers are the Reference 3A Dulcet. I have an Alon Thunderbolt sub, but it is currently out of the system as I am waiting for another to reinstall the pair. My VACs have Fusion Audio Predator power cords. The preamp has a Fusion Impulse and my modded UDP-1 CDp has a Shunyata Taipan. My main source used mostly in the evenings is a highly modded H/K Citation 18 tuner. It also has an AZ Tsunami cord with Wattgate 330i male plug. Interconnect from pre to amps is Von Gaylord Chinchilla. Tuner and Cdp have Von Gaylord Legend VI. Other tweaks: Two Alan Maher PEs, one in parallel and one in series. All components have been fine-tuned with various footers from machina Dynamica, Herbie's, and Bright Star. Both amps are sitting on a MD Promethean suspended stand. Speaker cables are AZ Satori w/ special pigtail for bi-wired speakers. This is a very simple and inexpensive system I have slowly put together over these last two years after I sold my entire previous system and I'm very happy with its musicality. In these last two years many interconnects, power cords, and other various tweaks and footers have come and gone during this fine-tuning( actually I have a slew of various footers still in my dresser drawer not being used). I also have a neat little vintage bedroom system which I've been fine-tuning and am spending a lot of time watching movies and listening to music through it. How are things going for you? I saw you had your TP 2.0 preamp up for sale a while back. Did you end up selling it? I recall that you were leaning more towards home theater.
Can those of you who download music comment on whether you would be interested in a USB option on the AH TD 3.0? Can you also comment on the quality of such recordings? We are aware that if you download master tapes at 24/96, the quality is superior to that of redbook CD's recorded at 16/44. What we would like to know is how much interest any of you would have in a USB circuit on our TD 3.0 that enhanced the reproduction of redbook CD's downloaded to a laptop and then played back via USB through the DAC. If you would rather write to me instead of post to the Discussion Forum, feel free to do so. I would also appreciate any general comments any of you might have about using a computer and a DAC to reproduce music over your sound system.
Thanks for your help. I will have more to say later.
Hi guys,it has been awhile.I think we lost some of the boys to other "teams" over the last several months.The AH is still my reference piece,although I am intrigued by the Jeff Rowland Capri.I'm not sure I understand the "magic" about the little PC1 gizmo but I am definitely intrigued.Talk soon.
hi all ah members, i'm still here and i'm still quite happy with my ah2.1nB as of matter of fact i have upgraded my amplifier from a krell fbp200 to plinius sa103 all i can say is wow what a tremendous difference in sound, so smooth, it seems like i listen to my music a little bit louder now since the upgrade, no listening fatigue what so ever. the plinius sa103 and the ah2.1nB has great synergy together. i am currently using sovtek ah30pi tubes on #1 & #3 i know one ah user have switched to ah30dr with good result, has anyone else tried the ah30dr? and what are your thoughts, just curious to hear what others have to say, since i'm still tempted to try the ah30r. thanks, Jojo
Jojo, I'm glad to hear that you are happy with your AH preamp. I'm not familiar with these Sovtek tubes. Are they a 6922 derivative? Did you get the AH preamp with the stock EH tubes? If so, then I'm surprised that you didn't like them better than the Sovteks. If you ever get a pair of NOS Siemens CCa for locations 1 and 3, you won't believe the musical difference.
Great to hear from the 'core', Sherod, Markwatkiss, Rx8man. How is everyone doing duing these difficult times? I still have the AH after things slowed down on the resale market. I have had very little luck with my SET amp going down twice so not much listening these days. Waiting for the amp to return from repair.
Sherod that is an intense system you have put together. Sounds like a labor of love. As to using a USB DAC, I just started doing some reading and trying to decide what equipment to use and whether to go with a PC as a transport. So Vcomerch, if you tell us that this works very well with the AH pre, I will take a more serious look at this set up.
Please feel free to discuss this in a seperate thread for the sake of continuity, the subject is Joseph's Pre in this one. I will be happy to tune in there. To be fair, I am very curious about the whole PC to DAC to AH Pre to AMp then to speaker and its advantages.
Hey all nice to read new posts. My 2.1 along with the rest of my system is in tune and sounding fine. Dont know about you guys and gals but i have been getting in some long and satisfying music sessions and spending less time on the net and more time listening to the music. All have a super Memorial day weekend to you that served thank you.
Thank you for your kind complement on my system, Luis. It has been a labor of love for me. After my divorce a couple of years ago, I had to start all over again with my stereo system. My goal was to work within a limited budget and assemble a state-of-the-art system within that budget. I feel that I've succeeded. My main system sounds more natural and gives me more pleasure than any system I've ever had and I've had much more expensive components in the past. I also have been wondering what out friend Pat( Rx8man) has been up to. I think he's been hanging out on another chat forum. Last time I talked to him, he was acquiring a pair of Nuforce monoblocks and was deciding which pair of monitors he was going to try out. Stltrains, I'm glad to hear that you're still enjoying your system. I look forward to reading about the updates you've made to it. May everyone have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day. Although I never saw actual battle, I gave Uncle Sam four years of my life. I don't regret it either. He gave me back a GI Bill to finish my college education.
hi sherod ~ sorry for the late reply. not sure about the answer regarding the sovtek since i don't know much about tubes. i got my ah with eh tubes on #2&3 with the low noise siemens on #1&3 but later switched to the sovtek 6h30pi after hearing a more favorable difference. i'm still deciding whether to upgrade to the 6h30dr hence my previous inquiry, i'm also considering the nos siemens cca, maybe i should pay joseph a visit soon in order to compare the two different sounding aforementioned tubes, it has been a while since i paid joseph a visit, i hear also that he's a quite ping pong player will see about that :o).
Jojo, Did you check with Joseph about using the 6h30pi as a replacement? As I recall the 6h30 tube has different filament and power supply requirements than the e88cc tube.
Better late than never. I was in Portugal and just came back to see that the thread has re-ignited. I am still enjoying my AH 2.0n1/2B. But since we have put the house on the market a few months ago we had to stage the great room, resulting in moving the speakers and removing the grand piano as shown http://www.visualtour.com/shownp.asp?t=1431481&sk=30&prt=10003.
Boy did that ever crap up the sound - now the windows just bounce the sound around and put one's teeth on edge except at low volumes. So I am listening quite a bit less and when I do it is mostly Bach Goldberg Variations type music. I can tolarate about another month of this and then I will really begin to pout :)
Gammajo, Very lovely home you're selling. I know its a tough market, but hopefully you'll sell it soon. Where are you moving to? As I recall, you were moving cross country.
Yes - going from North Carolina to Ashland Oregon. Thanks for the compliment and yes, here nothing is selling over 300K. We are mainly fed by the Florida market and they can't sell. It will be interesting.
Still have the TP 2.0n (Amperex PQ White Labels), and still lovin' it.
Victor - I did something a bit different for downloaded music. I've ripped my collection to Apple Lossless, stored on an external disk hanging off an Airport Base Station wireless router. I hook my MacBook Pro via USB to a HagUSB device, then feed that into the digital input on my Resolution Audio Opus 21 CDP, utilizing the DAC internal to the Opus. It works well and is easy to set up any time I want to use it. Perhaps not the greatest fidelity, but "Party Shuffle" makes up for it when I'm out on the deck.
Rob, within the next 45 days, Audio Horizons will make an announcement about how to rip and play CD's similar to the way you are, but in a way that not only does not degrade the fidelity, it actually enhances it.
Keep an eye peeled for my post in about 30-45 days.
Wow! That would be great, as I already appreciate the sound, though I do observe a difference from Redbook playback. (I needed to do this setup on a budget.)
What is the price for the upgrade to 2.1? It seems to me that the 2.0 for sale is dying and the 2.1's have sold rather quickly.
I have a Audio Note 300B power amp and a ASR Exclusive Phono amp and I need a pre amp. I tried the AN M3 but it was dark and muddy sounding.
The DeHavilland UV-2 and the Herron are also on my list, but the posts here are getting me interested in this pre amp. The same thing happened to me on the Gabriel Gold thread and the members there were right on with their take on Steve's cables.
Glory, I have the original TP 2.0n version and I love its natural sound. It is far from being dark or muddy. Of course, it is dependent on the power cord, interconnects, and tubes used in the system. In my system, using Von Gaylord Chinchilla interconnects from pre to amp, Fusion Audio Impulse power cord, and a pair of early Siemens Cca tubes in locations one and three, the sound is very lifelike, dynamic and natural. Also, buying new from AH gives you the return policy if it doesn't synergize in your system. I'm not in any hurry to do any upgrading with my preamp. Please also note that I was one who spent the $375.00 to upgrade to the 2.1 version and I eventually went back to my original 2.0 version. YMMV. I personally feel that you'd have to spend a great deal more money to get a better preamp.
Just to remind the folks the AH 2.0 was compared to a few preamps that are thousands more. I was searching for which preamps were mentioned besides the Audio Research Reference.
If you go back to the early threads, a couple of top contenders that were replaced with the TP 2.0 were the Aesthetix Calypso and I believe the Supratek Syrah. Rx8man replaced his Counterpoint SA-5000 with the TP 2.0.
Correction: I meant early "posts" of this thread. Glory, if you'll take a while to start at the beginning of this thread, a lot of answers might be there for you. This thread goes back to about two years ago.
For Glory's benefit here is my "B list" of pre amps that fell in the wake of the AH. Cary 98L Aesthetix Calypso Supratek Syrah Lamm LL2 Have a good week everyone.
Well since you are curious, I replaced the GG with the Grover Hoffman and my favorite the Acrotec . I am working on upgrading in other areas of my system right now. The GG are my "reference" cables no doubt the best I have ever had. They are sorely missed.
Right now I am very excited about the Red Wine Audio amplifier combo with the AH.
This thread has drawn me to consider this preamp. I currently use my Transporters volume control straight to my Nuforce 9 SEV2's. Now I'm thinking if sending my TP to Modwright for the tube output stage and trying the AH 2.1. I was thinking about the Modwright 36.5, Parasound JC-2 or the Antique Sound Labs Flora. I wonder what the advantages\disadvantages are between these fore mentioned pre's? I was hopeful for HT bypass but it seems these manufacturer's bypassed that option - no pun intended.
RX8man, Did you here a modded TP through the Audio Horizons/Nuforce 9SEV2 combo? I'm ready to ship my TP to Dan for the tube output stage. But that's still a 2K upgrade! Since I don't own a pre, I seem to be spinning my wheels between modding the TP and adding a pre, or both.
I guess I'm just looking for the best combo to pair my current TP and Nuforces. I've only owned 1 tube pre in my life, an AR LS15. It didn't pair well with my Nuforces.
Is it my imagination or are there some excellent 3 to 5K offerings in the preamp world these days?
Audio Horizons after upgrades Modwright 9.0 sig\36.5 (36.5 I can get a barely broken in unit for 3.9K) Audio Horizons Parasound JC-2 Antique Sound labs Flora
The most interesting thread that I've ever read. I know there was one comparison with the Modwright 9.0 vs. the AH2.1. Has anyone compare the AH 2.1Bnr with the MW two box 36.5?....thx
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