Thanks yyzsantabarbara for the detailed responses/suggestions. The LA4 does sound very good, and Cbrez I was up late reading about the LTA pre with great interest. And Soix I have added your suggestions to my research list and more importantly your reasoning from my primary goals in SQ improvement that tubes are likely to be the way to go. I had already been thinking about the balanced / straight issue, as I noted the LTA M has straight outputs only. Obviously I should be able to figure this out on my own, but if any of you are already aware as to whether any of the suggested preamps are fully balanced that would be helpful info.
Preamp for Bryston 4b3 & Tannoy Cheviots
I recently upgraded my amplifier from a Parasound A23+ to a Bryston 4B3 and upgraded my speaker cables to my Tannoy Cheviots to good effect. Before this upgrade, the other upgrade I’d been considering was to upgrade my Parasound Holo P6 preamp. Now that I have done the amp upgrade, I am starting to wonder what paired with the Bryston might make an additional increase in sound quality. I listen to a wide variety of rock music, a lot of roots music, Jazz and singer songwriters. I see a lot of music live, and having real instruments sound as real as possible and breadth and three dimensionality of soundstage are the goals I would like to maximize. I primarily stream music and have a separate DAC and digital reclocker so I am primarily looking for a pre where I am not paying for an on board DAC. A phonostage is also of no current value to me. Though I have 1000 LPs in the garage, I haven’t had a turntable in years, and am reluctant to add an analog element to my system whose quality would be proportional to the other elements of my system. I have a large number of cds, but rarely play them. Similarly, I have no use for a bunch of home theater features and connections as my system is only for music.
I note the relatively new Bryston BP-19 is analog only and I assume would be a good mate to their amp. However, I haven’t found any in-depth reviews of it. I was also pondering the Primaluna Evo 300 or 400, but one of my dealers has been cautioning me against the long term expense and hassle of tubes. I’m thinking I might be able to spend around $6000 if it made a significant improvement in sound quality.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
The details of my system are as follows:
Amp: Bryston 4B3 300 w x 2
Pre: Parasound Halo P6
Speakers: Tannoy Cheviots, Analysis Plus Black Mesh Oval 9 gauge biwired cables (21’ run)
Digital Streamer/Source: Heavily modified BlueSound NODE 130 (added Fidelity Audio clock board & LPSU)/ Innuos Phoenix USB/ Gustard X26 Pro DAC (connected by Shunyata Alpha USB cables.
All other interconnects: Synergistics Research Foundation or better
Power: Power conditioner: Synergistics Research Powercell 10 SE Mk 3 w SR Atmosphere level 3 cord; All power cords SR Foundation
My listening room is also known as my wife’s living room. Please no suggestions as to room
corection as I have no control over the room. The speakers are on the 14 foot wall at the front of the house, and although the living room is 16 foot deep, it flows into a dining room space where the ceiling lowers. There are also a couch and windows on the left side, and interior wall on the right (where the TV and stereo system components are).
Showing 6 responses by lloyd1969
The Motherload reviews great, but probably loses me based on it having 2 chassis that sit side by side rather than stack. My wife says I already have enough boxes on top of the cabinet that supports her TV, and if it won't go inside the cabinet where the current pre is, it's a non-starter. :( However, when I just realized on taking a 2nd look that the Benchmark LA4 seems a really good value, assuming I like it, at $3050. I see why YYZSantaBarbara is moving to the BM HPA4, as for just $550 more you get a great headphone amp included in the same line stage pre. I don't use headphones at all currently, but looking towards (semi-) retirement in a few years, I can see myself using one late at night when other folks are sleeping. Much cheaper than the Bryston BP-19 that seems to have comparable specifications. |
Hello @yyzsantabarbara I was wondering how liked the Benchmark HPA4 compared to the line-stage-only LA4. In theory they should sound the same, but I note the line-stage-only Bryston BP 19 sounds slightly different than the BP 20, the full featured preamp with DAC, etc. If I don’t go with a tube preamp, it seems like the HP4 might be a good solution for me. Although I hardly ever use headphones at the moment, once my wife and I both retire, and we’re at home a lot more together, headphones may be essential for listening to music as much as I will probably want to. |
Does anyone know an audio dealer in Southern California where one can listen to a demo system set up to switch between a tube preamp and a solid state preamp comparable quality? The dealer I like where I bought my speakers (that has an advantage in that they can set up a demo system with the same speakers that I own) is apparently to demonstrate their tube preamps but not comparable solid-state preamps (for reasons that I’m not sure I understand). Obviously, a system comparable to mine with a $4 to $5000 preamp will sound better than a system comparable to mine where I’m running a $2000 Parasound, so I won’t be able to tell if the difference is due to the tubes I the pre or just because it is a good pre at a much higher price point. |
Thanks @jimmy2615 and @yyzsantabarbara for the very useful information. If I ever get this sorted, I’ll give you both shout outs. And Soix, the LTA was brought to my attention here before, and it sounds like an excellent device, but as my DAC and amp are both internally balanced, I was disappointed the LTA wasn’t. Of course if I end up deciding I need some “tube sound”, most tube amps are not internally balanced , so it would then be something I should try and audition. |