Narrowing line stage search Conrad Johnson ET-6 SE VS. Backart Labs 1.4 Rhuma Extreme
Narrowing down my tube preamp search as follows:
1. Conrad Johnson-ET-6 SE: This line stage has no balance control and is not balanced. The retail price is $5900.00.
2. Backart Labs 1.4 Rhumba Extreme: Has a balance control and is fully balanced. The retail price is $8500.00
My preferences: Seeking a fully balanced system. My seating works best when I can control the balance as I do not sit in the "sweet spot". I am looking for an accurate but tube like sound that is lush romantic, especially in the midrange. Has anybody had the opportunity to compare these two line stages? Any advice with regard to which line stage might be preferable. Thank you. My entire system is listed in my prior thread entitled seeking a tubed preamplifier. My dealer who is truly excellent recommends these 2 line stages. Seeking some guidance as to the pros and cons of each.
@yogiboy No, have you compared those two specific preamps? Very few if any have and sounds like you’ve only heard the base Rhumba, which by your reasoning wouldn’t qualify you to chime in here either since you haven’t compared either of the preamps he’s asking about. Regardless, I posted something I thought the OP would find helpful, which is what we do here and didn’t warrant your response in the least.
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@yogiboy I absolutely did read the question. The CJ doesn’t offer balanced connections nor a balance control both of which he said he wanted, and the Backert likely doesn’t provide the midrange characteristics the OP said he’s looking for (as others have also mentioned) so I recommended something I thought would provide everything he’s looking for. OMG shoot me! 🙄 He initially did not explicitly say he wasn’t open to other suggestions so recommending something that could be a better all-around solution seemed perfectly appropriate, and the OP even mentioned he appreciated my recommendation and admitted it could be a better option. If he said upfront he didn’t want any other recommendations I would not have recommended anything else, but regardless I answered the question with only the best of intentions and that may still prove to be helpful if the current options don’t work out, but all that aside I don’t think he needs you to be his mommy here anyway.
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If I was you I’d do a trial of the Spatial Audio Raven that goes for $6395 and that’s fully balanced and I believe has a balance control (on the remote) but not 100% sure on that. I’ve never read a review of a Backert pre that described it as lush in the mids, but it’s obviously an excellent preamp nonetheless. My impression from reading reviews is the Raven will have warmer, fuller mids, which is why I’m recommending trying it, and that it’s over $2k cheaper is not insignificant. Just another potential option FWIW, and best of luck. |
