Help in deciding which tube preamp to replace my old SFL-2
I'm a long time audiophile. I am finally admitting that it is time to upgrade my tube preamp. For many years it has been my beloved Sonic Frontiers SFL-2 which was upgraded at Parts Connexxion about eight years ago and five years ago I changed out the 6922's to Siemens Rohre CCA tubes. Still sounds wonderful, but it's time. I am exclusively a vinyl listener and my system is: Nottingham table with Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum cartridge. Aesthetix Rhea Signature phono preamp fed to the SFL-2 via balanced interconnects. Primaluna EVO 400's as monoblocks with new KT88's and vintage European small tubes. I also still have my Levinson 27.5 and 23 SS amps. Speakers are Avalon Acoustics Opus. All cables are Transparent Audio Ultras. Musical preference is mostly classic rock; Steely Dan, Dire Straits, Cars, Eric Clapton, etc... but have over 3,000 LP's and do listen to Sinatra quite often. Love string guitars. I plan to buy used, and my budget is around $10K. I've narrowed it down to the following: VTL 7.5 (III), CJ GAT, AR Ref 5SE of Ref 6, Concert Fidelity CF-080 LSX V3, or an Aesthetix Callstio Eclipse.
I respect all comments, criticisms, and suggestions. Thank you.
Thanks but staying with tubes, thus the ML526 is out. I would love a good VAC but about the older VC Standard Pre, nothing much ever comes up for sale. For a good reason no doubt. The Backert Labs was one I was wondering about and looks very interesting. Does anyone have experience with their Rhythm pre? Has anyone listened to or owned a Concert Fidelity pre? I've read that they are compared closely to Shindo. |
@awise1961 I've heard the Backert Labs Rhythm and their Rhumba in a number of systems, including my own about 5years ago. Caveat is that I know the guys from Backert and consider them friends, although we haven't stayed in touch much since I relocated out of their area 4 years ago. What I can you is that our local audio club had about 80 members. Backert demoed for the group. Over a couple of year period, more members bought Backert preamps than any other component by any brand. It seemed like every time a new buyer hosted a gathering and people listened, somebody else decided to get one. This includes members with a wide variety of ss, tube, every type of speaker, etc. Those preamps were beating all kinds of preamps, many at higher prices. They are natural in timbre and don't need to be paired only with warmer or cooler gear. They are super quiet and notes start and stop on a dime, giving them their name. Andy, their president has worked as a professional musician; they know what music sounds like and they listen to ridiculous numbers of options for every part to optimize SQ. If I could afford to, I'd get one now. They are a relatively new company, but Bob Backert has been in the biz for decades. They've got some unique tech(read up on their patented power supply), and are a tube roller's dream. I just wish they'd make a model that's truly balanced, vs. just having XLR outputs. Just my humble experience, Cheers, Spencer |
You might also consider a Zesto Leto Ultra II. They sound amazing and there are a few of them out there for sale below your budget. Here is a link to one of the many positive reviews. |
Thank you sbank for the recommendations regarding Backert Labs. The Rythmn is now on my short list. I will call and talk with either Andy or Bob. cwory, I had been wondering about the Zesto gear. I will research them as well. My plan is to make a final decision over the weekend and purchase the new preamp early next week. |
I have the original Zesto Leto and it sounds great. I sent it to Zesto earlier this year for the ESP power supply that the new ones use. Their service and support is first class. Great gear. It is the quietest preamp I have ever owned. Absolutely no self noise and very dynamic . Built like a tank, it feels like an integrated amp when you pick it up. |
