Beautiful Colored Tube Preamp ($10k budget) to Pair w/ Very Accurate Monitors (PSI A25M)

" Warm colored " tube pre amp , look to older CJ...

Some that come to mind are Shinzo, Zanden, Allnic, and Cary. The right interconnects can obviously also help, and Acoustic Zen Absolute Copper, certain Cardas models, and Kubala-Sosna might be some worth exploring. Hope this helps, and best of luck.

Sorry, I meant to say Shindo not Shinzo.  Damn spellcheck. 

winoguy17 +1

Shindo is a good call you can probably find a used one in the $10K range or close to it. Older c-j preamps the pv series are indeed warm and rich sounding though you do lose some resolution. Also Audio Note would be a brand to consider.

Don’t forget Audio Research. They definitely have a warmth to them.

heyall awesome, helpful! yeah i think something current that has support might be ideal, but if this cj pv series is the ticket... losing a bit of resolution is fine sacrifice for more warmth and bit of that tube saturation since its digital source 

guessing there must be something around 10k which punches in quite a high weight class =] 

apparently EAR 912 is a good option 

came up in another thread 

Linear Tube Audio  they make a great preamp get it with the max Lundahl transformer ,order with the 6SN7 tubes , and it also has I believe 12at7 tubes or similar 9 pin tubes ,it was originally designed by tube guru David Burning 

then improved upon again ,it has several stages of regulation ,clarity best CMR capacitors you can dictate the sound with these tube types and at around $6k retail 

will compete with anything in the $10 k range check itout , Mike at Audio Archon 

will give you a fair price and check out all the excellent reviews ,use a good quality power cord and high quality tubes , vintage tube service, or Brent Jesse recording 

for true NOS  tested matched tubes.

My experience with PSI active speakers are they tend to be very “forward” or “energized “ so please consider a preamp with input gain control

Cary SLP05!

Take a look at the Supratek line of preamps. Unique designs,  6SN7 and/or DHT. Adjustable gain. Lifetime warranty. I have the 6SN7 /  DHT Cabernet. Great flexibility to tune the sound to your preference.

So you're looking for a beautiful warm colored tube amp to go with accurate detailed speakers? MacIntosh?

For the beautiful color done exactly how beautiful color should be done, how bout a used Vinnie Rossi DHT preamp. Huge spacious stage, detailed yet flows with ease, then control the level of warmth wanted with tube choice.

Also, IMO the LTA preamp is much closer to neutral than warm at all. Tubes can of course change that a little but by design it is quite neutral. 

yea i suppose i do consider PSI actives quite "forward" and energized as well ! part of the reason i've recommended them, they will be bumping a lot of house music =] but they also so good for any style 

alright quite a few recommendations here ! this review of the cary has me quite intrigued ! 

 

dejayos

I'd prefer a 6SN7 preamp tube personally. In addition to the CJ recommendation though, I'd look at: Aric Audio, Supratek, and the Don Sachas/Lynn Olson Raven preamp. I'd even reach out to Aric Kimball (Aric Audio), Don Sachs (Raven preamp, sold by Spatial Audio), and Mick Maloney (Supratek) to have a conversation. Aric Audio and Supratek make a bunch of preamps, they could lead you in the right direction on their products.

For transparency, I own an Aric Audio Motherlode XL preamp.....and Aric certainly can customize his preamps, and he has adjustable gain controls.

Just about any tube preamp can sound warm, 3d, and inviting if you put the right tubes in it. 

NOS tubes to consider: 

Amperex-Holland,

RCA Black plates,

Mullard,

Brimar

the above will have the sound your looking for.  

I have a Cary Audio SLP-05. It is awesome. You can get one with the Ultimate Upgrade for under $10k.

 

a lot of that tube color and help warm up the very accurate PSI monitors

Generally speaking, high-end tube preamps are striving to be more realistically neutral with some tube warmth. Nowadays, If one wants heavy tube warmth, they would usually get it in the amplification usually coupled with a matching efficient speakers - the higher efficiency, the less tubes needed for amplification and thus reduces cost.  

Maybe old vintage tube preamps….,

Love my Supratek Chardonnay that Mick built last year. Just fabulous sound with the stock 6SN7 tubes. Never had a preamp sound so right with easy to obtain new stock tubes. Wish I’d ordered one years ago. It would have saved me a lot of nos tube money. Mick will make suggestions and build what you want. He has a service man in the US.

Thanks,

aldnorab

My vote would be for the Luxman CL-38uC. Complete with basic remote (volume and mute), full MM/MC phono pre with step-up transformers on the MC input, bass and treble controls with selectable turnover frequencies, a tape loop, and balanced inputs and output utilizing transformers , which, like using transformers on the MC input, is the best, lowest noise way to implement balanced on an all-tube circuit.  It’s also very pretty, luxuriously touchable, and “only” $6k. Hard to match Luxy for build quality and longevity.

hey right on what makes you keen on the  6SN7 preamp tubes? yes im producing music and use tube gear, definitely big on getting special nos tubes (always worked with proaudiotubes in the past) =] curious what modern manufacturers opt for, id guess they would go for the best available nos at the 10k price point heh but its no problem to order tubes separately 

 

yeah the cary seems real cool

+1

 

porchlight1

2 posts

06-17-2024 at 11:35am 

My vote would be for the Luxman CL-38uC. Complete with basic remote (volume and mute), full MM/MC phono pre with step-up transformers on the MC input, bass and treble controls with selectable turnover frequencies, a tape loop, and balanced inputs and output utilizing transformers , which, like using transformers on the MC input, is the best, lowest noise way to implement balanced on an all-tube circuit.  It’s also very pretty, luxuriously touchable, and “only” $6k. Hard to match Luxy for build quality and longevity.

shoot realized i kinda need one that has 2 sets of stereo outputs... because there are 2 sets of speakers and 2 subs (big room) - unless there is some other way to get around that issue heh

dejayos

There are generalities of course between 12AU7 family compared to the 6SN7, but here are mine; and I have both 12AU7 and 6SN7 systems in my collection. These are my own findings, others may disagree:

6SN7 - I find these tube components to be richer, fuller, smoother, sweeter, engaging, and a little (just a little) more relaxed with a large soundstage

12AU7 - These tubes are more holographic, precise, analytical, detailed, and dynamic

I own both, because they are generally different; and have their own place in my system....and can match better in different circumstances. In your case you requested help with a warmer presentation to smooth out your speakers, that would be the 6SN7 in my experience.

That is why I recommended Aric Audio, Supratek, and Don Sachs/Lynn Olson Raven preamps; their preamps are 6SN7 based (with some variations available). They all make state of the art (as much as tubes can be) preamps, are hand made point to point, EXTREMELY high quality components, and some (Aric Audio) can be customized to your taste if need be.....whether that is with different capacitors, tubes, or connections.

I personally own several Aric Audio components, so make of that what you will....personal bias for sure. Though I know of several people with Supratek and Don Sachs gear, who adore their equipment

I own 2 of the preamps mentioned above, the LTA Reference preamp and the Aric Audio Motherlode XL.  Both preamps are fantastic.  The 2 preamps are in separate systems so it's hard for me to give you a comparison.  The Aric Audio preamps are custom made so you can change inputs/outputs or make changes to whatever you need so that's a big plus.  

ended up going with Aric Motherlode XL custom built to match the PSI system (apparently it has unusual needs being that they are powered speakers being fed directly from the preamp) =] thanks everyone for their input !

Ming Da MC2A3 is very warm and tubey sounding.

As far as the Cary SLP05, I don’t consider mine to be all that warm. It could be the tubes I am running in the balanced input sockets, or the cables I am using, or another component in my system, but I felt replacing my old Cary SLP90 with the SLP05 cooled my system down but added air & detail/hence improving imaging.

Which is not to say that I do not like my ’05, just that I am not finding it extremely warm.

Yes I agree that the Cary is more neutral.Typical of a good 6SN7 preamp.Very good preamp .My brother owned one and I owned a Supratek Cabernet 300B.That sounded more tubey.Especially with meshplate 300bs.I preferred the Supratek but both are excellent.The Ming Da MC2A3 is more tubey again with a very SET like sound but bass can be a bit bloomy.With tight bass speakers like Gale 401s it matches well.

dejayos

Congratulations on the new preamp, the Motherlode XL has been a revelation for me.....I never knew how much a great preamp could "make" as system. Aric had to do some customization on mine as well, to compensate for the 10k ohm input for my CODA S5.5 amplifier.

I can also highly recommend some upgraded 6SN7 tubes that work very well in the Motherlode XL: Tung-Sol 6SN7GT ($300 pair), Sylvania 6SN7WGA (VT-231) $250 pair, Sylvania "Bad Boy" 6SN7s ($200 to $250 pair), and the Linlai E-6SN7s $156 plus shipping from jjyaudio.com which is a very trustworthy source for Chinese made tubes. 

Excellent idea to get a preamp custom made for your special needs I hope it works out well and gives you great sound.