Music First Audio Passive Magnetic Preamplifiers?

I recall John posting something on his forum about taking a break from manufacturing the Tap-X autoformer units. However, he did offer to build a balanced one for me, so maybe he's back to doing them in small runs or one-offs.

To me one of the best passive preamps out there is the Lightspeed Attenuator. There is one here for sale that came up today.

I never heard the Music First units, but I had a passive preamp using S&B transformers that I liked. These are the transformers used in the Music First line. However, as mentioned the Music First units are over priced.

More overpriced than the Audio Consulting Silver Rocks?

No, the Silver Rock is more overpriced, but I think it sounds much better than the MF. Also, I have compared the Silver Rock to the Lightspeed Attenuator I mentioned and for roughly a tenth of the price the Lightspeed is a steal.

What the Lightspeed showed me that no other resistor designed passive showed me was that a transformer designed passive (Pubul57 bought the K&K from me) can actually compress the sound a bit, especially in the highs. To me this is not problematic and actually contributes to a slightly warmer and pleasing sound. However, it means that a TVC is not necessarily the last word in transparency and neutrality.

Now autoformers are not transformers since they have just a single winding. However, there is some debate among people I trust who make transformers for a living as to whether the Slagle designs are actually autoformers. I won't get into specifics on that discussion here. However, in my comparison of the Lightspeed and Slagle AVC I own, the AVC acted and sounded like my old K&K S&B, just more transparent and neutral, but not as transparent and neutral as the Lightspeed.

The Lightspeed is the king of the hill of passives IMO. If you have a system that matches up well with it you will be extremely surprised at how good it sounds.

The Myth product has been around and used to use to be referred to as the Myth Lightspeed preamplifier in it's marketing. George Stantschleff pressured them to stop using the reference to Lightspeed and I can validate, having looked into the product myself, that the Myth is as George says, a remote controlled multi-input Lightspeed.

Anyone really interested in the history and variants on the Lightspeed (including a Nelson Pass design) should muddle through the lengthy thread over at DIY.com. You might even be inspired to build one yourself.

Reading through the DIY.com thread I believe he tried to patent or had a patent. However, it's perfectly clear he was the first to come up with this design since copied by others including Melos and Datzeel.

I believe S&B stopped selling the transformers for DIY and OEM purposes a while back, which prompted John Chapman of Bent Audio to switch to the Slagle autoformers for his magnetic passive preamps.

I have had the privilege to work with Masa Tsuda and Hajime Sato at THE SHOW in Las Vegas this year and at last years RMAF. I'll also be working with them at THE SHOW Newport. So I've spent a lot of time with the Concert Fidelity components (and as a side note I use the Silicon Arts Design trio of components).

Most who know me and my preferences know that I dislike active line stages. I've owned my share of them (Cary, Joule, Rowland, TRL) and had a number pass through my system that were loaned to me to audition. My end preference was to go the passive route. I've owned an S&B TX 102 MkI passive built for me by Kevin Carter, I built my own using Slagle autoformers, and I have the Lightspeed attenuator. About the only thing that rivals the purity of a well designed passive is a well designed zero gain active buffered preamp, of which I own The Truth from Ed Schilling at the Horn Shoppe and the Silicon Arts Design which uses some trickle down technology from the CF-080 (including the same volume control).

However, I will say that the CF-080 is really in another league when it comes to active line stages. Of course, it's price should qualify it as such, but we all know price isn't the whole story. The electronic volume control eliminates unnecessary contacts, wipers, and switches from the signal path. The signal path itself is extremely short, such that the board is mounted on the inside back plate of the chassis and tubes are accessed from the rear panel on the preamp. Masa Tsuda is all about simplicity in his designs (the DAC is NOS) and his designs are quite creative (his solid state amps are a good example). This is definitely one active line stage I can live with. I could certainly regurgitate all the superlatives to describe my listening impressions, but suffice it to say I've been tempted and just may have to pull the trigger on one come June.

There goes Andrew "helping" his friends again. LOL.

I'm glad I didn't fork over a boat load of money for one of those upper level TRL preamps only to later have it referred to as flawed, or the GTP-4 only to find that another TRL preamp costing significantly less smoked it. If past vs. present TRL product comparisons as Mr. Gear represents them are any indication what can Dude owners expect in the future?

Perhaps the best thing you can do to help your friends Andrew is to not say anything at all. We all know what happened the last time you intervened on behalf of TRL.

Andrew's posts do have a similar ring to the old Jes45 posts (although I was told by someone close to TRL that its not the case, and for now I'm taking him at his word that it isn't). However, when you read some of this stuff you can't help but wonder if perhaps Audiofun is on to something.