Using a prepro for dedicated 2-channel listening instead of a stereo pre is like using a minivan on a racetrack instead of a sports car — sure you can do it, but why?
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the last statement , I agree all those mentioned could or should be as good considering the cost but I am talking about pre/pros that cost relatively nothing now as compared to the initial cost when new.
not sue why you are so cranky with your response.
ive used all the ones that I could up to $1000 wether new or old. and yes the P3 was not that great considering it cost like 600 new and people still pay over 400 used now. its nice looking but ive had OLDER pre amps that sounded better. of course all of this is with my system..doesnt mean its for everyone elses setup.
its a known fact that the depreciation of avr's and processors is much more than straight preamps and that is something odd because some of the older pre/pros were much better made than a straight up pre.
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I did get try out a Sherwood Newcastle R-972 Pre/Pro . it sounded fantastic with music. probably the best pre of any kind I have ever heard. That’s actually a receiver from like 10 years ago. I then tried a Parasound P3 stereo pre and it sounded like crap. Might as well have been a 1980/s receiver. nothing special about it. and people love that brand and apparently that pre. Yeah, that John Curl’s a real hack. Clearly all the other people are wrong. But so far ive only used 1 stereo pre that I liked as much as my favorite Pre/pros and that was a modified/upgraded NAD Pre. Well that’s not surprising since NAD is the pinnacle of stereo preamps, and modded it must be killer. I know I shouldn’t ask, but what other stereo preamps have you tried?
there is no way some cheap made in china Parasound stereo pre or similar "stereo" would ever sound as good as a proceed that isworking 100%. Considering the Proceed cost somewhere around $5000 I should certainly hope not. But it might face some competition from the likes of ARC, VAC, Atmasphere, Ayre, LTA, Pass, etc. But then they’re probably no better than a prepro either so why even bother? I think you’ve made your point here.
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since you insist on disagreeing I will update this thread.
I didnt buy the Bel Canto because its got some years on it and sometimes fixing these high end preamps is not possible. decided to pass.
I did get try out a Sherwood Newcastle R-972 Pre/Pro . it sounded fantastic with music. probably the best pre of any kind I have ever heard.
I didnt keep it cause it was over complicated and overkill for my system but it sounded fantastic.
I then tried a Parasound P3 stereo pre and it sounded like crap. Might as well have been a 1980/s receiver. nothing special about it.
and people love that brand and apparently that pre.
But so far ive only used 1 stereo pre that I liked as much as my favorite Pre/pros and that was a modified/upgraded NAD Pre.
if it were not for parts failure now and repair issues Id be running a Proceed Pre of some kind. there is no way some cheap made in china Parasound stereo pre or similar "stereo" would ever sound as good as a proceed that is working 100%. People are nuts to pay $1k-2k for some of the recent stereo preamps .
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um..well....the point is you can get so much better product with a former high dollar pro than you can get with a stereo PRE. the nicest stereo pre I have seen lately was the emotiva XSP-1 gen 2. most of the rest of the stuff out lately are not that great. its easier to buy an old AVR or HT Pre/Pro and get much more for you dollar than to just buy a pre. Um, I’ll just politely disagree with all these statements, especially for a 2.2 system where music is the priority. But if you’re hell bent on a prepro, have at it and best of luck. |
um..well....the point is you can get so much better product with a former high dollar pro than you can get with a stereo PRE.
the older way expensive Pre/pro are so much nicer and have better build and most time equal sound .
I dont want to spend $1000 on a stereo pre made in china from all the leftover parts from the prior models....
the nicest stereo pre I have seen lately was the emotiva XSP-1 gen 2 . most of the rest of the stuff out lately are not that great.
if they made a Freya+ with display it would be $1500. Parasound has a few and I am not sure if its worth the $800-1000.
its easier to buy an old AVR or HT Pre/Pro and get much more for you dollar than to just buy a pre.
im using a PT-100 right now and its not bad but it could die next week. I already have pop sounds and its less than 1 week old.
I hear Bel Canto was up there in the top so it should play music well..
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If you only have L/R speakers and subs and mainly listen to music I’d just use a good stereo preamp.
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