a used Cary SLP-98P should fit your budget, and it’s one of the great values in Audiophilia. If the Parasound is running out of juice look for a used Sanders ESL amp, best amps I’ve ever heard with Maggies, and the used older versions will be fairly comparable in price with your Parasound. Just MUCH more powerful, amps are build for Maggies.
Need suggestions on preamp
I’m mainly a headphone listener so when I got the chance to purchase a pair of Magnepan LRS speakers near my home town, I ran with it. I love Maggies and their midrange smoothness and live performance feel. I was able to find a used Parasound A21 for $1200 on Marketplace which was replacing my Adcom 545. I’m now running into a dilemma where I think the Adcom 545 sounded more detailed to me. I listen to a lot of instrumental music that I know well and I’m not getting the same level of detail as I’m getting with my headphone setup which is running balanced from my RME ADI-2 DAC. I’m using more expensive Audience AU-SX interconnects on those but even when running the RME direct into the amp (since it has volume control) I’m not getting the level of resolution I’m used to with my headphone setup (Hifiman HE1000 with a Serbian Audio HSA-1B amp).
I think the issue might be related to my preamp. I bought a Schiit Saga+ and despite running good NOS tubes or trying out passive mode I’m not getting the resolution I’m looking for. I’m looking for a recommendation on a preamp that costs between $1,000-$2,000 that will max out the resolution of the Parasound while keeping it’s effortless flow and naturalness in tact. Maybe the problem is the speakers and I really should have gone for the LRS+ or 1.7s? I know the room plays a huge role with Maggies but I live in a small apartment so for now I’m looking for any suggestions that can be fixed with gear. Thanks for any help!
- ...
- 61 posts total
| Post removed |
Fantastic preamps and Arek is fantastic to work with. https://www.facebook.com/khozmoacoustic?mibextid=LQQJ4d
|
You’ve gotten lots of suggestions and face the typical conundrum of lots of different answers. I understand why you like the imaging of the LRS. I also understand why you like ATC speakers and their precision, clarity and speed. What has always worked for me is bringing gear home and trying it in my room. Each of us have different listening rooms and musical preferences so our suggestions may not closely match what you’re seeking. Find some dealers that will let you bring gear home, whether electronics or speakers and see how they work for you. Many online dealers of both new and used equipment will let you return gear. The Music Room sells both new and used, as one example. I hope you find what you’re seeking. |
If the Korg B1 in the Link can be purchased as a fully assembled model, there is a lot to be had for such little monies. I know from experiences had, when used in certain systems, the Pre Amp really makes a very good account of itself. As a result of attending comparison demo's, I witnessed the Owner of a System costing more than £40K settle for the Korg B1 over a £4K Pre - Amp when they had about £15K of Pre Amps being A/B trialed on their system. The Korg B1 took pride of place in that system for quite a few years, it was even more impressive when the Khozmo VC was added and has only very recently been co-joined by another Pre-Amp. The owner of this system now is of the view they have all the Pre Amp they need, with the Two Pre's available. Not too bad a outcome when both are costing well under £1K. https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/pass-b1-korg-assembled-50.415820/ |
- 61 posts total