I need your suggestion for a Preamp.


I would like to get a preamp, and I have an opp to get an Ayre K5XE MP, Jeff Rowland Capri or a Mark Levinson 380S.

The power amp is a Levinson 431, driving a pair of B&W Matrix 801 S3. I am using a Levinson 390S CD processor to drive 431, the sound is not too bad, but I need a couple of more inputs as I intend to use a TT and add a blu ray player as well.

The Levinson 380s is much more money, out of the all three.

Looking forward to some experts advises and suggestions/recommendation.

Cheers 
audiomaster

Showing 1 response by thehorn

Hi audiomaster,

Shame you feel that way about complimenting SS amps with tube pre-amps. It has not been my experience.

As a matter of fact experience has taught me that LUKASKE is bang on. It is not a habbit of mine to slag other people’s systems, but drawing on experience again, I have heard B&W 801’s with both MAC gear as well as ML and find the speakers over rated, over priced and under performed. Dry and uninvolving.

The Aesthetix Calypso I have no experience with, and although I’ve read good things about Sonic Frontier’s tube based CD player (never heard it), I have listened to Sonic Frontier’s amps .... I wouldn’t them! Gutless.

If you’re rotten with money I would have to agree with Phantom_av, Atma-Sphere MP-3 or MP-1 pre-amps are to kill for .... or at least audition.

That said, with the nature of B&W’s sonics SS maybe the way to go. In that case inorder to saddle slap some extra life into the B&W/ML combo may I suggest Krell’s KRC pre-amp.


Best of luck in you quest,
thehorn