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Most Flexible Audiophile Preamp

The Hovland Preamp HP-100 offers 7-8, depending on if you have the optional phono or not, line options. This I love since I have so many line sources including reel to reel, cassette, CD recorder, DVD recorder/player, VCR, tube and solid state tuners etc. I liked the flexibility of multiple deck dubbing of old but realize this is all but gone now. Most preamps lately are limited to only 3 to 5 sources other than the Home Theatre Preamps. To me the HT preamps provide access to crappy hollywood sources which to me is opposite to living a quality, questioning life. I like a few movies but do not want to be controlled by it. Controlled by throwing lots of money at it and making a room and my time a prisoner to that use. I do not want to dilute musical quality for a zillion video input/output options and fruitless attempts to keep up with zillion speaker output options. Something about this HT built in obsolescence stuff (never ending video/audio formats, HDTV options created while others abandoned) seems very irresponsible and true to the marketing makes the need in the USA mentality !

What are your choices for most musical flexible preamp? When replying if you can give the number of line inputs, recording options, and output options I am sure others will greatly appreciate this information. If the unit has a phono preamp built in what is your opinion of the quality of the phono preamp. Price for me can range up to $8000 new or used.
nanderson
sutts
700 posts
 
SF Line 3 all the way...
larryi
3,974 posts
 
The most flexible and versatile linestages and preamps I've used are the Mark Levinson Ref. 32, BAT VK5se, VTL 7.5 and the big Boulder linestage and phono preamp. All of these are extremely easy to program and use. Each input can be programmed for sensitivity. All switching, setting of volume, balance, absolute polarity, mono/stereo, etc. can be done by remote control.

The Boulder is way outside your specified price range. The Levinson is also outside that range, but I understand that other models, like the 380S have similar programming functions.

My Ref. No. 32 has seven inputs, I believe two are balanced, and, I believe, two single-ended outputs and one balanced output. I have a built-in phono stage. By remote control, I can change the gain on the phonostage, relative output (to match other inputs), capacitive loading, resitive loading (something like 7 different settings) and channel balance. The only functional issue I have with the Levinson is that the remote volume control is a bit slow going up and down because it makes changes in .1 db increments. Personally, I think that this degree of control is not necessary, but, on the other hand, I can hear .2 db changes in channel balance (when listening to mono) even if a .2 db change in volume is not discernible.
michaelbr
7 posts
 
The McIntosh C2200 provides a lot of flexibility. 3 outputs, either balanced or unbalanced. 8 inputs, 4 of which can be balanced. One tape output. Phono input among the 8 inputs. I have not used the phono stage yet. It has gotten OK reviews -- "not as good as some but you can consider having gotten it for free" summarizes one I recall.
jayneleecathooch26ef
18 posts
 
Is ATC currently distributed in USA? Don't overlook the ATC SCA-2 pre. Currently 4k in UK, it has 6RCA and 2XLR inputs, with provision for two tape recorders. Separate listen & record selectors. XLR and RCA main outputs, though you now have to request the RCA inclusion. Optional reference quality phono board. I've just auditioned - and just ordered - this unit; it's significantly superior to the KRC-3 I had before. It's also equally happy to run RCA or XLR in/out, or to mix it up. A rare flexibility in that respect!
All I originally wanted was a pre with 2 XLR ins, but the SCA-2 has truly amazed.
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,677 posts
 
"All switching, setting of volume, balance, absolute polarity, mono/stereo, etc. can be done by remote control."

SF Line-3 does that, too.

Kal
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