I have the Rhythm 1.4 and can say that the sound is to my liking. The midrange is very intelligible with vocals and the bass is solid with no muddy reverberation. I have it connected to Sopra Focal 2’s , Aqua Acoustics LaScala DAC, Lumin U1 streamer with upgraded power supply, and McIntosh MC 462 amp. The Backert Labs preamp is worth an audition. Give Andy Tebbe a call and try one out.
Backert Labs Rhumba 1.3 vs Extreme
I am looking for a new preamp. I was curious about the preamp from Backert Labs. I saw some good reviews on them and they peaked my interest. My experience with tubes are limited, but I do have tube headphone amp- McIntosh MHA200. When listening to headphones, I always come back to MHA200 over SS amp. So I know I like tube sounds. Long ago I had Schiit Freya which was the only tube pre I had. I do not like veiled and thick sound sometimes I hear from tube gear. I prefer clarity / open / spacious sound with a hint of softness. I think the Rhumba can deliver the sound I am looking for, but just wondering if anyone has experienced the two models and share extra money on the extreme version is well justified. I will be hooking up the pre with Pass X250.8. Also I'd appreciate if you can comment on quietness of the preamp. Do you hear any noise when no music is playing?
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@panerai557 - I have the LTA preamp level 2 and love it. I have been recently become curious about how different tubes would influence its sound. Did you end up tube rolling the LTA at all? If so, mind sharing your results and recommendations? |
@bluethinker - I rolled the output tubes. I tried Electroharmonix 6sn7 and PSVANE 6sn7. Both produce clean / transparent sound. I currently use PSVANE as it sounds more organic and a tad softer upper freq. The big surprise came from fuse change. I replaced stock fuse with Synergistic Research Purple fuse and the improvement was easily heard! Bigger and fuller sound coming out from my Joseph Audio Perspective 2s. I'd suggest to upgrade fuse first before tube roll. Power cord is also very important. I tried different PC with this pre and so far I like Gutwire SV-12 cord the best with line up of PC I have. Feet are also important. Placing the unit with its stock feet deaden the sound. You need to use a quality isolator to hear its sonic clarity to fullest. BDR cones worked well, but I am looking to try others from Stacksaudio or Tomboaudio. |
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