boulder and d'agostino


reached out to boulder who referred me to a dealer
called dealer told them my 2060 amp wanted a 2110 preamp to replace my arc ref 5
suggested a dagostino preamp ///??
just trying to understand that line of thinking have previously had krell gear and moved on
in fact had boulder 1000 series years ago and previous dealer (when i upgraded)suggested krell which i bought and had later had numerous service issues with -- but it was sonically great --and now I have went back to boulder/arc but want to try all solid state.  any ideas why that(dagostino) would be recommended over boulder 2110 for a 2060 match from a dealer who sells both>? not trying to start a debate but was a bit puzzled. TIA

rlkern_dallas

Showing 2 responses by rlkern_dallas

Maybe it will become clearer after they get back with me. Sorry for the confusion no I contacted Boulder who suggested I speak with the dealers in the area about the specifics of the gear(I had previously had the 1018 preamp and was considering either the new 1110 or 2110 or even the 2010). So when I contacted one we had preliminary conversation about the 2110 preamp- they did not have that available for audition. At that point the d'agostino (not sure which model) was brought up as an option to pair with my boulder 2060. I haven't heard that gear before and so prior to setting up audition was just if others had seen this pairing and there was a synergy that would be worth considering.  The dealers are several hours away so setting up home audition will take some doing.
Several years ago I had the Boulder 1000 series preamp (the one with Dac 1012 or 1018 I think) paired with a 1060 amp and it was a great.  I started venturing into home theater (custom 5.1 surround room, etc) and (learned some lessons) went to Krell processor and Big Krell amps.  I could never get the sound like i wanted for 2 channel listening and ended up with an ARC ref 3 through the large Krell Evo amp and wilson Maxx2 the tube preamp substantially improved the listening experience to my ears but was never as happy as I was with the Boulder gear (SS pre and 1060). At the risk of getting off topic I will say the DAC in the boulder 1012 was great but I preferred listening to CDs through my Naim CDX2/xps and later CDS3.  Appreciate all the responses the Dagostino pre and Boulder amp may be a great combo just not a pairing I was expecting to be recommended right out of the gate. Also, have read several things talking about the synergy(e.g. gryphon preamp/gryphon amp) being somewhat more important at this price point unless you are specifically looking for the tube sound, in which case for certain pairings (like the Krell amp)I preferred it.