2. amps-preamps
  3. 1415789879

K&K Pre amplifier

Kevin at K&K sells a preamp kit under the name Raleigh. I believe that Raleigh is another small manufacturer, whom Kevin works with. I have used his phono kit for some 7 or 8 years now and am more than happy with it, a great unit.

I have been using an ARC reference 75 for over a year now, with a very good passive pre. It is a self build copy of the Music First Audio baby reference, with the same transformers. When I bought the ARC, I briefly compared this unit with the ARC reference 3 pre. It was'nt a proper comparison, but I think I preferred my unit. It does lack a bit in the macro dynamics department though and I am wondering about trying a tubed pre.

Has anyone used the K&K unit, there are'nt any reviews of it I can find. Other suggestions for a unit under $5000, including second hand, would be welcome. Another thought was the Audio Horizons pre, frequently commented on, in this forum.
Thanks David
david12

Showing 3 responses by david12

david12 OP
1,454 posts
 
Thanks to both of you. My suspicion was that the passive was going to be hard to beat. The very well thought of ARC ref 3, sounded thick and congested in comparison to the passive. It was just a whim I had really. I would still like to get a really good active tube Pre in my system to compare it with, but not so easy when you are looking at second hand buys.

As an aside, people say buy second hand, you can always sell it for what you paid for it. I never can, I always get less. Perhaps I am a pushover for sellers
david12 OP
1,454 posts
 
Just my impression about the ARC Ref 3, Shakey and that was in comparison with the Passive Pre. I had a CJ Premier 17 about 10 years ago, a lovely piece of kit.

Thanks for the information about Shindo, I have heard them, but they are hard to find second hand.
david12 OP
1,454 posts
 
I did'nt make it, I bought it on E-bay from a guy in Hungary. A bit of a risk, but it payed off. It cost me £900, which is less than the cost of the S and B transformers, so it was a bargain. It would certainly be cheaper than buying a Music First Baby reference, if you built it yourself, or got a tech to do it for you. The quality is in the transformers and I suppose how well it is built or soldered. I would have thought it ought to be pretty close to the quality of the Baby reference, if well constructed.
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