Need Preamp Recommendation
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Quicksilver tube preamps would be a nice fit with any solid state amp! The low output impedance will work fine with any amp you decide to buy. I own the non remote 12at7 one. BTW, both have no balance or mono feature, if you need that then you should look at something else! http://quicksilveraudio.com/preamplifiers/ |
If you do not want the preamp to add anything to the sound then consider 2 preamps that I recently bought. The Benchmark LA4 or HPA4 ($2500 - $3000) add no sound and have some very useful features. They also work well with a variety of amps. So what you hear is the source and amp. The Topping pre90 that I now use in one of my systems also has no sound to it. However, it did not play nice with my CODA #8 amp though it sounded great with my Benchmark AHB2 monos. The kicker is that it only costs $599. Do not let the low price dissuade you. You can get this on a home trial and see how it works with your gear. I sold the HPA4 and kept the pre90 because I wanted to raise some cash and I no longer need the headphone amp in the HPA4. The pre90 is very limited in features but in terms of sound it seemed identical to the much costlier HPA4. I also have a CODA 07x preamp that is not super neutral as the other 2 since it adds a warmish tone to the audio signal. It has become my main preamp in the office system. This preamp would mate great with a Class A amp however, it is not in your price range. |
Preamp is also point to point , rarely seen at this price... it is labor intensive so most companies just use a printed circuit board. All my tube gear moving forward will be point to point. Much more reliable and easier to fix in most cases. I bet John at Audio Connection will tell you the same thing he told me when I bought headphone amp... if you don’t love it I’ll take it back. That type of confidence means he rarely sees a QS piece come back. It’s good stuff |
I use Audible Illusions M3B with Plinius SA102. M3B sounds much better than Plinius M16P and Prima Luna Dialogue premium. The only catch is, M3B does not have a remote and its tube life is shorter than average, and their service is not prompt. Its used price is around 2K. One of the best sounding tube preamps at its price. |
as @soix says, it is YOUR preference that matters, as always... but we make allowance for the possibility that folks asking for others’ preferences is to help establish their own here are some very nice combos: -- c-j et5 into belles sa30 or pass xxx -- c-j prem 16 into audiosector patek se -- arc ref 3 or 5 into hegel h20/30 (balanced) -- modwright swl 9.0 into arc 100.2 latter amps are not class a only but they are just as sweet, and more powerful than most |
