2. amps-preamps
  3. 189829-67960

Should I upgrade my preamp?

There are no decent Audio stores close to my home anymore. I used to travel 50 miles to Paragon Sound in Toledo, Ohio. I could select a piece of equipment new (floor model) or used and bring it home to plug into my system and try it before I’d buy.  So, my question the group is, I’m thinking of up grading my preamp. I have always felt the preamp was the heart and soul of a system and the greatest change would come from changing the preamp. I’ve been watching used ARC preamps on eBay.  Would an ARC LS28 be to much of a stretch for my current system?  In the past I’ve enjoyed swapping out the single 6922 tube in the preamp and the change was always noticeable.  Currently I’m running a Dutch Amperex 7308 and my favorite so far. From top to bottom a very musical tube. What are your thoughts? 

 

Current system:

Denon DSD 1500 CD player

Audio Research LS2B MkII

Audio Research  PH3SE

Aragon 8008BB

 

Vpi Aries gen1 turntable

Vpi Line Conditioner

Graham 2.2 tonearm

Benz Micro Ruby ZH

 

Thiel 3.6 speakers

dgb553

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dgb553 OP
6 posts
 

tomic601 Yes, I’ve been checking with Ann Arbor for several months now.

mrdecibel you are correct, it is DCD-1500, typo on my part. If I remember correctly, I bought this player in 1986. I’ve tried other CD players over the years and they either lacked in bass or the highs were to bright or tinny sounding and in some cases less detail. My system’s sound stage is not mid-hall depth, it’s more like the 10th row and very engaging. The preamp is 30 years old and to my ears it has lost some of its magic. So, is time to replace or recap or maybe look for a new CD/SACD player?

I forgot to mention speaker cables and interconnects are all Transparent Music Link Supers.

We moved a few years ago and my listening area is not good, my sound stage is very compressed now. 

Soix I grew up listening to tubes. When I was little, I remember watching my father build his first stereo preamp from a Dynaco kit. So, with ARC’s newer equipment moving away from the house sound that embraced tubes to something more neutral, with just a hint of tube sound. I hear your warning and it is my primary concern.

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