Seriously considering tube preamp…opinions?


Tube virgin, here. I am building a system and I'm trying to contain the preamp/amp cost to $3k or so. (I could go up a little.) 

I'm inclined not to dive into tubes all the way through, but get a solid state on the output end. (Open to suggestions; inclined toward PS Audio, Parasound.) I'm reading around about tube preamps and have talked with my local dealer, who sells Black Ice/Jolida and Prima Luna (PL). He used to carry Rogue but said they kept coming back for repairs. That's why he carries PL.

I'm asking these questions after having established (via reviews, comments) that Schiit gear is quite the value. Lately, I've been reading about Decware and other small tube makers. I'm very curious about buying direct, if possible, and a company that stands behind their products is crucial.

So, your opinions about tube integrated or *especially* tube preamps —

1. Who do you like? Consider I want to do pre/amp for a total of $3k if possible.

2. Do you think PL is worth all that money just for a preamp? I get the feeling they're high quality but a bit over-hyped. (No disrespect to the highly passionate Kevin Deal, but he's all over my search results.) And what would you think about $2k/$1k preamp-to-amp spending ratio?

3. Any sense of what happened to Jolida since the name change to "Black Ice"? I see there's a sordid story there but did the re-branding clear up the mess? Any experiences with the Black Ice company?

4. I know there are many Schiit fans out there; so my question would be -- did anyone consider Schiit for tube preamp and go another way? Or move beyond Schiit for any particular reason? It's hard not to just capitulate and do a Freya+ or Saga+ but why wouldn't one just go with Schiit?




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Showing 3 responses by dodgealum

If your goal is to try tubes and want a bulletproof piece with unrivaled customer support then see if you can find a Herron. Lights out performer—way better than any of the ARC or Modwright line stages I tried. Not very “tubey” sounding though—just super quiet, very balanced and natural sounding. I’ve had mine for years and have no interest in trying something different.
To stay within budget you would need to buy used. I think retail is around $6500. You may want to call Keith he sometimes has trades or other ways of working with you on price. Be careful though—once you talk to him you will want to join the family—he is that awesome!
VTSP 3A (R03) I think Keith sells 10 times the number of phonostages than linestages (I have both) but the line stage is just as spectacular as the much praised VTPH-2a