Choosing between 2 preamps
Hello
I have narrowed down my search to 2 preamps that comes in my budget.
BAT VK-31se
Atma Sphere MP 3 with phono stage(not sure which mk i sent a mail to Ralph)
Both around 2200-2300 dollars.
The BAT Capacitors have been changed to Audience Auricap, instead of 6 each side there are 2 of 10.0mfd 400vdc.
both sounds good, I heard the Atmasphere with my power and B&W 802 diamond, sound was pretty anemic , but i think my power couldn’t drive the speaker properly (AUDIO RESEARCH REF75se)
between both of them because I didnt listen side by side I cant really tell, also difference in all other gear except my Power amp.
I would be happy to get suggestions regarding it. Thank you
@honeybadgertube Of NOS 12AU7s the Amperex "Bugle Boy" 7316 has gotten the highest marks in customer feedback. A good alternate is the Bugle Boy 12AU7. In new tubes we've had good comments about the Gold Lion 12AU7. No matter what tubes you get or where you got them, in all cases they should be vetted on a tube tester to make sure they test good, then auditioned for low noise, low microphonics and no crackling. |
I’ve owned all types of Bat gear over 27 years. They’ve produced a lot of great products over that time. I’ve never been happier than with Bat gear. And their resell market is exceptionally strong. So buy it right and you’ve zero risk. Come to think about it I owned a VK31SE at one time. These products are extremely reliable. I owned VK1000 monoblocks, and also mated them with a VK40 preamplifier. It’s simply exceptional gear. |
@honeybadgertube RCA to XLR cables are made. The only meaningful advantages of balanced inputs - improvements in CMRR - don't happen unless you're running cables over 5M. Even in RF noisy environments a properly designed shielded unbalanced connection simply don't suffer at short lengths. In a recording studio with hundreds of cables and RF intrusion opportunities, it's a different story. |
