Audiopooh, I don't understand the dilemma as imagine your volume pot is 50-100K which should be fine for a tube DAC.....SS DACs would have no problem driving the pots...Until you explain the problem a bit better I don't see a problem.....Problem might arise if the pot's impedance was 25K or below and you are trying to drive it with a tube output DAC and, even then, you could add a buildout resistor to the input of the preamp to raise the impedance......At a loss here.....
PLz help?best tube preamp: balanced + soundstage?
I have a dilemma, hence the unprecedented post, and am confident the regular audiogoners can shed some light for me... At least I hope someone will help me out. =)
I have an impedence matching problem with the DAC I am considering and my preamp. I am looking for what you would suggest as the best tube preamp without regard to price. I am particularly interested in imaging and 3d soundstaging...
The rest of the system will consist of an Oracle CD transport, Audio Note DAC 4.1x balanced, VAC PHI 220 mono amps, Avalon Eidolon Diamond loudspeakers, Purist Dominus RLS interconnects and speaker cables, NBS power filter, NBS Omega 0 power cables for amps (pending) and Shunyata Anaconda VX for source and Pre plus several shakti stones & on-lines and miscellaneous resonance control (Black Diamond, Grand Prix Monaco stands).
I would be incredibly grateful for any suggestions of what you have found to be the best soundstaging preamp with preference for tube preamps and strong preference for musicality and imaging with balanced inputs/outputs (preferences coincide with characterisitics which I believe are my system's strengths and what brings me closest to my music). My current preamp is a heavily modified Air Tight linestage (all caps replaced with either black gates or Audio Note and all resistors replaced with Audio Note Tantalums plus extensive chassis isolation in stages internally and externally) - which excels in my preferred characteristics but has a marked impedence-matching issue with the AN balanced DACs (don't ask me why, but it works exquisitely with the AN Signatures - and I dare not spend the $ on the 4 sig given the fast rate of digital obsolescence after sinking so much $ on the rest of the system already)... so please ehelp a fellow audiogoner and obsessive music and audio addict!
Thanks in advance, since many of you have heard many, many times what I have... Please answer though - even if it repeats another's suggestion since I trust this group quite remarkably... and you collectively have allowed me to find equipment that really suits me!
I have an impedence matching problem with the DAC I am considering and my preamp. I am looking for what you would suggest as the best tube preamp without regard to price. I am particularly interested in imaging and 3d soundstaging...
The rest of the system will consist of an Oracle CD transport, Audio Note DAC 4.1x balanced, VAC PHI 220 mono amps, Avalon Eidolon Diamond loudspeakers, Purist Dominus RLS interconnects and speaker cables, NBS power filter, NBS Omega 0 power cables for amps (pending) and Shunyata Anaconda VX for source and Pre plus several shakti stones & on-lines and miscellaneous resonance control (Black Diamond, Grand Prix Monaco stands).
I would be incredibly grateful for any suggestions of what you have found to be the best soundstaging preamp with preference for tube preamps and strong preference for musicality and imaging with balanced inputs/outputs (preferences coincide with characterisitics which I believe are my system's strengths and what brings me closest to my music). My current preamp is a heavily modified Air Tight linestage (all caps replaced with either black gates or Audio Note and all resistors replaced with Audio Note Tantalums plus extensive chassis isolation in stages internally and externally) - which excels in my preferred characteristics but has a marked impedence-matching issue with the AN balanced DACs (don't ask me why, but it works exquisitely with the AN Signatures - and I dare not spend the $ on the 4 sig given the fast rate of digital obsolescence after sinking so much $ on the rest of the system already)... so please ehelp a fellow audiogoner and obsessive music and audio addict!
Thanks in advance, since many of you have heard many, many times what I have... Please answer though - even if it repeats another's suggestion since I trust this group quite remarkably... and you collectively have allowed me to find equipment that really suits me!
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