Whilst its an old thread what did the OP Decide on?
Atma-Sphere MP-1 would be the cream of the crop within a decent budget range
the Aries Cerat Higher End Pre-Amps are also fantasic choices.
VAC is another good choice i think they are nice soft pleasent sound, if you like that sort of thing.
LAMM would be another excellent choice.
I think the Aries Cerat would win out on this if money is no object thou. Their Inverted Triode Pre-Amps perform on levels not easily achieved by normal circuits. They are costly but thats the price you pay for a 120KG pre-amp!!!!
[please excuse my bad English] The Aries Incito S preamplifier is a thing which is not of this world.(I am NOT related to the audio industry). The Incito (plain vanilla) favorably replaced my YBA 1 preamp.Incito: SET tube with zero feed-back, and transistor-like figures; holds the extreme low end. 5 chokes. 79lbs !!).It changed my system. The Incito S (same as the former, with external power supply) let passive preamp afficionados drop their beloved passive fetish. Look at my post.regards.
KW6, I currently own both the Allnic L-1500 and the Don Sachs DS-2 feel free to pm me for my impressions. I enjoy them both and currently have the DS driving a small tube system in my office and the Allnic on my main system
i will say this; the Allnic is killer for the price, very well built, metal remote, great channel balance, the output transformers are really something special that provide big soundstage and dead on center image...can be purchased with the L-7000 out put transformers that step things up a bit more
Used to own the VAC, Smooth warm sound and eventually got bored of it. Moved to an Atma-Sphere Mp-1 and instantly knew I was missing out on so much more Dynamics, transparency, speed, timing etc etc etc. Never Regretted it.
If you want tube rectification you could go for a Jadis JP 80 or 200 (both of which I have owned in the past), but I do not believe they have a remote. .
@roxy54 , I had gone through about 8 preamps , all bought used in very good condition, which the Lamm LL2 Deluxe was one of. I had spent a lot of time comparing these in my system and the last one I sold off was the Lamm, which I replaced with a brand new version and to be honest I heard no difference between the two iterations of this pre. The new one, as I understand, had very few if any changes made other than the 15 db attenuation switch. Bottom line is if you didn’t like the LL2 you aren’t going to like the LL2.1 as they are the same animal. Enjoy the music
kw6, You just jogged my memory. I knew before I bought it from reading that it had high gain, and my speakers are very efficient, and I also read that the .1 had selectable gain, so I had Vladimir reduce the gain in mine before he returned it. I remember it as sounding natural enough, definitely not tubey, but in no way harsh, but lacking the dimensional tube "roundness" that I have experienced before. It was just not exceptional in any way, and that was in direct comparison to a $700.00 solid state op-amp based pre.
Yes I am interested to know the difference too Roxy54. When you had the original one how would discribe it if it wasn't tonally rich not bloomy and small soundstage. I think .1 has the15 db reduce gain and remote on off for Lamm amps. And small circuit changes.
Having heard both in my old system, I think that another possibility would be a VAC Renaissance preamp, which does have a remote. The Lamm is a superb product; so is the VAC.
I’m interested in this thread, because there is such universal praise for this pre. Can anyone comment on the sonic difference between this and its predecessor, the Lamm LL2 Deluxe? I bought one from a member in Hawaii about 9 years ago, and had it shipped directly to Vladimir in Brooklyn for the once over, after which he sent it to me. Now you can believe this or not, but the pre I was trying to replace with it was a Morrison ELAD, and within a short time, I realized how disappointed I was. I would never describe it as tonally rich, and other attributes that I was hoping for like bloom, depth and wider soundstage were missing in action. After four months, I gave up and sold it. I should mention that 2 years prior to that I had purchased a second hand Joule Electra (LA 100 MK II ) and was also disappointed in that well praised pre. So my question is, is the LL2.1 a different animal?
Yeah I read they have a sweet organic tone. I was looking into the Aurieges. But the pre had output impedance of 5k ohms barely compatible with my amp.😟
Shindo Monbrison (sorry no remote) but it’s one of the best preamp money can buy, used or new. Word of caution, once you hear the ‘house’ sound of Shindo, you’re done for life.
Stibi you are right as my previous preamp was the standard LTA MZ2 no remote and it drove me crazy had to get up to adjust it a tiny bit. I tried the Tidal volume slide but doesn't sound the same as fixed volume and using my preamp to adjust volume. Actually my cj preamp is not bad. Just looking for something more organic the next level. I prefer something with tube rectification. I will Google Aries again but sure out of my range. Thanks!
Hi, Personally I've had approximately different 60 preamps go through my reference listening room and yes I am in the audio industry. Recently I had a very nice Karan preamp in on trade and it sounded excellent. I've also had an Absolare preamp (no remote) that was very transparent. The Lamm is another excellent choice but if I had to choose just one I would also go with the Aries Cerat Incito S line stage. Aries Cerat is my reference preamp.
Since two years i am using the Lamm LL2.1 Deluxe and I like its sound a lot. Also to have two outputs is very convenient as I am using the second one for my subs. However the lack of remote is not adding convenience and over the time it started to be annoying. I have tried various alternatives and the only one that I found to deliver sonic enhancement on top of the remote operation is the Aries Cerat Incito S. It is indeed substantially more expensive, but the sound is fabulous. It is building on all strengths of the Lamm sound, bringing it to the next level. Worth trying.
Kw6, Since 2017 I use MFA Baby Reference preamplifier V2, and I never look back. The case "preamplifier", has closed, for me, once and for all! If you can test it, give it a try! There is no way to look back!
KW6, I would try the Concert Fidelity LS-080 latest version of their pre-amp. It has the tonal richness, and transparency along with a remote. I have been using that with my Lamm Power Amps for well over 10 years and have found nothing that out does that combo in that price range.
I received my the latest from Don Sachs a couple weeks ago and I have just boxed up my AR-5SE and PSA-BHK for sale. Just can't say enough about Don's work.
kw6, just sent you what you requested, if you need all the info I included my phone number to text me for a picture of the receipt for your inquiry. Good luck with all.
Baranyi I was using nos 12bh7 and Shuguang Black glass 6SN7. Great bass fast but not sound I am after with my Pass. I did pair with a Prima Luna tube amp with different speakers and sound was better but in my current set up not happy. Actually I was distraught!😀
@erik_squires , brings up a great contender, heard one in a friend of a friend's system and loved it, just could not find one in the used market to live with during my culling process but was on my radar. Please do let us know what you buy and if you decide on the Lamm, get with me as I went thru Lamm directly since there was no dealer in Houston and he referred me to a few dealers to buy from and have it ship directly from him. You would not believe the price they quoted and what I paid. Enjoy the music
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