2. amps-preamps
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Looking to upgrade my preamp - suggestions?

My system has been coming along pretty nicely since I started putting it together 2 years ago and I am now thinking about upgrading to a better preamp. I'm looking for opinions about which preamp would go well with my Manley 300b neoclassic amps. The Manleys only have RCA inputs (no balanced inputs).

Here are the amp specs:
http://www.manleylabs.com/containerpages/seppneo.html#specs

I am currently using the Manley Shrimp, which I still think is a good unit for the $$$. I'd like to upgrade however because I think a better preamp would improve the bass, give me a bigger soundstange and also improve my ability to hear further into the music. My system now is a bit laid back - many recordings sound like they are coming from a few feet behind the speakers. I would like a bit more forward presentation. The sound is rather neutral which I like. Not looking for an artificially warm tube sound.

I would like to buy in the used market and I'm fairly flexible on price range - $2000-$3000 or so. I would love to own a Conrad Johnson CT5 (or Ref 3) but at $4500 or so (used) its a rather outsized investment relative to other components in my system. I really built my system around the 300b amps :) In my opinion, past $3k on a preamp I would be better served upgrading my speakers?
latinsamba1

Showing 5 responses by latinsamba1

latinsamba1 OP
74 posts
 
Hi Teajay,

I will definitely look into it. Another thing that I didn't mention in the first post is that I would prefer to stick with a major brand name (Conrad Johnson, ARC, etc) because I don't want to lose out if I decide to resell/upgrade a year or two from now. I figure if I buy a 2-3 year old CJ or ARC it has hit a "floor value" where I can buy it with little to no depreciation thereafter.

Any opinions on these line stages?

ARC LS-25 MKII
ARC LS-26
Conrad Johnson ET2
Conrad Johnson 17LS

All of those preamps should fall in my price range if I strike the right deal. I prefer the looks of the CJ preamps but sonics trump looks for me.
latinsamba1 OP
74 posts
 
Yes the ARC LS-26 looks very nice and the review I read said something to the same effect (it being very close to a Ref 3 in performance). Another nice feature is that you can select gain in SE for 6,12 or 18db. Looks like low 3s is probably the going rate now on Agon for one.

I wonder if anyone has compared the ET2 against the LS-26? The ET2 can probably be had for $700-800 less on Agon.
latinsamba1 OP
74 posts
 
Yes, Im sure room treatment would help too, but I am pretty limited in what I can/will do there as I am in a NYC rental apartment. Certainly the room layout is far from ideal. The speakers in my system are designed for tight front wall setups and for listening I cover up the TV with a heavy wool blanket which helps some. Side walls are completely uneven (the side wall opposite the sofa is a built in kitchen) so no point trying to treat just 1 wall. On cords and other things I have experimented a bit. Replaced the 12AT7s with Telefunken ECC801s which made a big difference over the OEM tubes. Im sure the room is 50% of the problem though - no arguement there.

latinsamba1 OP
74 posts
 
I'm thinking either a CJ 17LS2 or the ARC LS-26 at this point. Someone here mentioned matching the input impedence of my amps to the output impedence of the preamp? Not really sure how to determine which preamps would be suitable on that basis. I understand that you need a certain amount of gain but what is the ideal impedence range?

On the Shrimp, I agree that changing the tubes made a big difference. With the stock 12AT7 tubes the Shrimp sounded fine but upgrading to Mullard CV4024 and finally a pair of Telefunken ECC801s really kicked things up a notch. I like the look of the Manley Neoclassic gear actually, and their 300b preamp has gotten good reviews. Might be worth considering that preamp too I suppose.
latinsamba1 OP
74 posts
 
Thanks Cmalak. I would be using the single ended connections because the amps only have RCA inputs, but that sounds like the LS-26 would work fine.

Question on the gain of the preamp. My Shrimp has 12db of gain which corresponds to turning the volume knob to roughly 9 oclock for my regular listening level. With the gain adjustments on the LS-26 (6,12 and 18db) is there any advantage to running a different gain level in terms of lowering the noise floor?
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