2. amps-preamps
  3. 136421-89400

Pre amps cost vs. value ... what I discovered last month.

Greetings all.

I’m a mastering engineer. www.magicgardenmastering.com . We use Acoustic Zen balanced cabling, highly modified Cary 211 FE tube amps, Bricasti M1 SE DAs and Joachim Gerhard’s Allegra speakers. TORUS balanced power comes 220 from the street. The room is excellent, and you would love to hear it.

For 15 years the pre amp/router was a Crane Song Avocet. I paid around $1800 for it.

Recently decided to try a couple of audiophile products in the pre amp stage and was shocked and saddened how bad they were. Yes, the studio designed Avocet has a relay click for each 1db step, and yes it has a rack mounted 2U body with a corded remote, but it’s clear folks are really getting taken to the cleaners on pre amps. The older and highly regarded Boulder 1010 (used price $5500), was just terrible, truly terrible. The new and fully broken in BAT vk-43SE (demo price $7500) was much better, but still had a cloudy tone as compared to the class A Avocet. Not sure if that’s the cap or the transformer, but it made everything less clear and more generic, more distant from the music.

That’s all. Happy listening.
128x128brianlucey

Showing 2 responses by jsm71

jsm71
141 posts
 

Brian, I happen to agree that preamps have become pretty expensive when the designer chooses to lean on their early successes and brings out new models with new bling on top of overpriced "improvements".  I'm not saying the new models aren't better, but it is an excuse for jacking up the price over time. 

I recently down-priced my preamp to a bargain, the Linear Tube Audio MZ2.  Its David Berning design is a marvel of neutral transparency, big soundstage, and imaging.  It was designed as a premium headphone amp but as a preamp it is amazing, if a bit limited in its features.  It certainly has limited bling factor although I love the look.  Fully optioned (remote, linear power supply, NOS tubes), it goes for < $2,300 but can be had basic for just over $1,200.

It sounds so much better than my prior $4k preamp did.  I love it when you can improve the sound, and drop cost.

jsm71
141 posts
 

If all is impedance correct between source and amp/s.
They sky's the limit, as no active preamp can equal the transparency/dynamics/lack of distortion, that direct source to amp/s feed can give.
Adding a preamp in this case only diminishes and colours these parameters.

I don't disagree on paper that any preamp adds "something".  That something can be a good thing.  I like to pick the mix of tubes that suits my listening taste.  My Linear Tube Audio MZ2 when used as a preamp is extremely transparent and distortion free. 

It adds a degree of 3D imaging that direct to amp alone can't match.  By selecting the right tubes I've maximized dynamics and gotten the tonal balance I prefer.  I've tried source direct to amp and it benefits having this extra "spice".  On paper observations don't always relate to the best or preferred sound.

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