Listen to Goldeneraguy. Don't forget the room. It is the final arbiter of your sonics.... |
The above list can easily multiply ten-fold and all would probably be correct.
What should be remembered is the BEST pre will be degraded
if not mated to the appropriate amplifier and only if that amplifier is mated to the correct speaker and that speaker is correct for the room it is in.
Before you spend 20K on a component check to see whats left money wise for everything needed to complete your system |
I agree with Jazdoc. I will have a DHT preamp which can use any of these tubes 101D, 26, 226, 326 out next month. All point to point wiring, transformer volume control and custom made transformers which after trying out more than I can count on one hand, hopefully gives my product the edge over all other similar DHT preamps. In many comparison tests, the custom wound transformer was so much better sonically. Once you get the capacitors out of the signal path, the clarity, detail and micro dynamics really are stunning. IMO you also don't have to chase sound from ICs, power cords, power conditioners, as much because the preamp provides most of what they did in my past systems..
Happy Listening. |
There is no such thing as "the best". All of these preamps are in the top category...(my personal best is the Ayre preamp)....Before you put down the big bucks for these jewels, listen and decide for yourself. |
If I were looking for an outstanding single ended cost no object active linestage my search would begin and end with the Concert Fidelity CF-080.
On the balanced side it would be an Atma-Sphere preamp given I already own an Atma-Sphere amp. |
The Experience Music Kahn Linestage is my end of life linestage. The aesthetics are gorgeous and it sounds fabulous. These are bespoke products, tailored to your system and tastes.
http://www.jeffreywjackson.com/preamplifiers.htm
Jeffrey is delightful to work with.
Feel free to PM |
Gago1101 where do you live? I amy be able to help you out with preamp selection. I have a few items for sale on Audiogon now so you can send me a message through one of my ads (don't worry I am not going to push my COunterpoint SA-5000 on you) I just cannot send you an email from this thread.
Happy Listening. |
Better advice would be to post this in the correct forum. You might get more meaningul answers there. You will surely get more views.
Shakey |
I would say the Vac Signature Mk IIa is certainly among the best tube amps, and also the one I own. It is the best pre-amp I have heard, and felt it was better than my previous best pre-amp, which was the Mbl 6010D. |
The Dude by TRL , hard to beat at any price. |
Thanks for all the comments, I really appreciate it. To answer some the the comments above, I do agree that "best" is a relative word in the world of electronics and very subjective. And I do agree that most have not listened to everything out there. that is exactly the reason I want to know what people consider best for themselves, which would give me a list to start researching and decide what's best for me. Looking at some of the preamps and brands mentioned above, it seems I will have my hands full researching all these products, which I look forward to. Thanks again to everyone! |
Thoress all hand made point to point wired no boards sounds wonderful. |
I find this question impossible to answer, which isn't too helpful but honest. Now, depending on the amp you end up with, and as Ralph mentions the cables you use, I will say that these preamps from these comapnies were all execellent in their own way:
Audio Research
Convergent Audio Technology
Lamm
Joule
Atma-sphere
and the Dodd Battery powered preamp.
If I wanted an SS amp and want to use an SS preamp, I would likely get the preamp from the same manufacturer - at least in the case of the 3 SS amps you mention. |
the best of the best of tube preamps. Well clearly that has to be my preamp :) Seriously though there are a lot of issues with what is thought to be the 'best'. Part of the problem is that some people actually *like* solid state, so it might be that you have to sort out the "best" transistor and "best" tube preamps. Its my opinion that the preamp story is incomplete without the experience of the interconnect cables. You might say that the cables, especially the one between the preamp and the amp, is a hidden cost of any preamp. One of the functions of the preamp is to control the interconnect cable and preamps range from having no control of the cable at all (passive volume controls) to the cable making no difference whatsoever in the sound of the system (that will be a balanced line setup, BTW). And since there is the issue of balanced, if your amplifier does not accept a balanced input you may have to further differentiate between balanced and single-ended preamps. IMO balanced is the way to go as the system will have lower noise, less artifact from cables and power supplies, and less distortion from the preamp itself (and if you get rid of distortion, the preamp will sound smoother and more detailed at the same time). The problem is, no audiophile has heard everything, and even if they did, it would be highly unlikely that they heard it under ideal conditions to show that piece off. Now if that could be done, maybe we *could* arrive at "best" (as the English language has the word 'best' for a reason); there probably is a 'best' in some sort of existential way, but getting agreement on that (despite its actually being the best) is unlikely regardless. So 'best' having the meaning it does, keep in mind that when manufacturers tell you that they have the best that they are most likely to be lying or uninformed- the word gets used a lot... |
|
Gago, you have a lot to think about since you are in the system building mode. Your room is the most important variable. Component selection is like cooking. Find out what you like in the context of what you can afford.
I would also look at the DartZeel and Neodio integrated amps and the ASR Emitters. |
I heard the Ypsilon PST-100 with the Ypsilon Aelius PP amp,VPS phonostage,Bergmann TT and the Tidal speakers. It was one of the very best sounding rooms at CES 2010.Only the Viva 845 monoblock tube amp with the Trenner-Friedl RA-Box speaker combo sounded better at that show IMO. |
My current system is a modest one at best. It includes affordable hifi gear that many of you may lought at. I am at the stage where I am moving into my new home and want to build a new state of the art hifi system. I am trying to get info on which brands i should be looking at before starting auditioning. For amps, I was thinking mating a tube preamp to either Krell, Bryston or Mark Levinson. For speakers, my dream has always been to own a Sonus Faber Cremona or Elipsa or the B&W 800Ds. I was thinking looking at lower brands such as paradigm s8s, but I think I will be staying away from it. In terms of preamps, I do not know much. I thought McIntosh preamps were great, but recently have heard that there are many better sounding electronics out there, hence my question. And sorry guys for posting in the speaker section of the forum.
Would also appreciate any pointers in terms of amps as well as speakers. |
What is the rest of your system?
Ypsilon PST-100 Mk.II |
As a dealer for deHavilland I can say that the Mercury 3 is the best preamplifier that many people have heard. You can read what others have to say about it.
http://www.dehavillandhifi.com/MERCURY_PRE.htm
|
I use the Coincident Statement Linestage and my friend uses the VAC Signature MK2. I`d put these two up against anything else if the highest priority is purely 'sound quality'. |
When you get to this level, it's a matter of taste and synergy. You should consider the top VAC models, too. They tend to be endpoints for those who've bought them. |
The Audion Quattro 4 Box would certainly need to be considered here.
--Audion dealer disclaimer
Taylor
www.goldprintaudio.com |
You may want to move this thread to the amp/preamp forum. |
Gago1101, what do you have on your short list already? |
Lamm LL1 Signature is a good place to start. |
AR Reference 5. A friend has one and the reviews of them have been exceptional. |
