2. amps-preamps
  3. 919981671

Please recommend Tube pre-amp(s)

I've listened to, and liked the Conrad Johnson PV 12 (a bit under $2,000) and really liked the Conrad Johnson Premier 14 ( $4,300?). However the Premier 14 is a lot of money, and we wouldn't even have listened to it except it has a remote control which my wife insists on, and then she fell in love with the higher quality sound of the Premier 14. I've listened to solid state gear from Rowland, Ayre, Classe and Krell none of which I liked although I thought the Rowland was incredibly precise, detailed [and lifeless.] The only other tube gear I listened to was the BAT preamp/amp combination which didn't do it either - I thought the sound was kind of dark and a bit dry emotionally. We felt that the CJ sound was very open, inviting and involving - we felt like part of the emotional experience of the music. I'm quite new at this and it seems like the preamp has a large effect on the overall character of the sound of the system, at least more so than the power amp. So far I have a Cal Audio CL 10 5 disk CD player and a Conrad Johnson DA-2b D to A converter plugged into my soon to be replaced old receiver and speakers. I have no plans for vinyl, so I'm looking for recommendations for line stages. What preamps can you recommend in the $2k to $4k price range with remote controls? The two dealers who had the CJ line said CJ has a distinctive sound - do you agree? If so, how would you characterize the sound from other amplification companies' equipment - like VAC, etc. etc.
whiteknigh
hellohifi
120 posts
 
belcanto SEP-1 for $3500 retail. belcanto SEP-2 for $2500 retail. There is not better SE tube preamp for the buk. Also, build quality is hard to beat. And yes, full (real) remote included. www.belcantodesign.com It took us 2.5 years to find a new tube line, and this is what we went with. belcanto factory also gives great customer and dealer support. Really a well rounded product (lloks great too). thanks, Brian@HelloHiFi.com ph805.527.9739 fax805.527.9808 www.hellohifi.com eCatalog available. New equipment demo’s by appointment. All quotes are good for 30 days. Customers in every state, & 26 countries (angol/ingles/englisch/beszelunk magyarul!/ hablamos en espanol/wir sprechen deutsch).
leoniyw
1 posts
 
I have been happy with a Paoli modified SP-6 (ARC) which is basically a Curcio Daniel II (hybrid), very similar to the Sonic Frontiers SL-1. I recntly rpleced it with a much more expensive Presence Audio (First Sound) unit. The Sp-6 was that good! Return e-mail if this is of interest to you.
ericgray
1 posts
 
AUDIO RESEARCH !!!
fotopresd4b4
48 posts
 
One wonders if it is wise to put a combined equalizer and distortion unit in your signal path; this is what all tube preamps are in reality. Add to this hum, noise and unreliability. Perhaps what you really want is solid state, not an outdated myth.
dschult2
3 posts
 
Fotopres is obviously an avid tube hater with little actual experience with any quality tube products. His statements regarding tube preamps are also quite skewed. I currently own a Vacuum Tube Logic Ultimate preamp (rather arrogant name, but still one of the best I've heard). My current pre runs DEAD silent (as do some other tube preamps...as do SOME SS preamps...but some of EACH design do not). My first preamp was a NYAL Minuet, which was a hybrid and could be seen as an "equalizer" due to its euphonic coloration. It could also be considered "unreliable" in that it burned itself out (though it wasn't a tube that failed!) after it reached 15 years of age. My next pre was an ARC LS3...solid state, fairly quiet, quite musical, and quite reliable. It worked well in my system, but when I changed speakers, the preamp no longer matched well. Out went the ARC, in went the VTL. The VTL was inexpensive on the used market (though originally $3k in the late '80s) and has proven TOTALLY reliable. It has a fantastic phono stage that will shame that of any solid state unit near the price I paid (or 4 times what I paid). The line stage is quite neutral, not "romantic" or "tubey" and has a much more extended top end than the ARC unit, as well as a stronger, better defined bass. From what I have seen, the VTL measures at least as good as many solid state units in most areas, has less "noise and hum" than many I have heard, and is utterly reliable.
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