Sugden LA-4 review....the missing link


The last several months I’ve plowed through several preamps on a quest.  The Manley 300B with Taketsuki tubes was very decent for a few years.  Then came the deHavilland Mercury 3 which stock was very good, but then with Vcap upgrades got way better.  Substantial bass control came into play with improvements in all parameters.  Thank you Kara (the brilliant builder).

Behind all of this was trying to direct the ATC 40 actives in the right direction.  The ATC SCA preamp was a real surprise as finally something was as fast as the ATCs.  No lag.  Enter the Sugden.  Really fast, class A strike force and improvement over the ATC preamp for sound staging.

The Sugden seems the whole package now with the speed, timbre, sound staging and naturalness of acoustic instruments and vocals without harshness or analytical bent.  I’ve been given permission to leave my beloved tube world.

System:  Naim Core, Sugden pre, Mystique 3 DAC, Valhalla 2 dig., ATC 40 actives with Gaia footers.  Wire World Silver Eclipse 8 ICs pre>> ATC 40s, GIK diffusers, Decware ZLC power conditioner, Quadraspire Reference X stand, PPT The Gate, Patrick Cullen PCs, Decware ICs, Magic Bricks.  Oyaide SWO XXX ULTIMO wall outlet.
celtic66
Congrats on finding a preamp you love that works with your system. Sugden gear is great though I've never heard that preamp no doubt it's special. And very cool system all the way through celtic66!
I have an A21SE, I bought it because Tubes just wouldn't fit into my set up here off a desk top. I am absolutely thrilled with this Integrated, it's the best choice in HiFi I have made in years. The A21SE is incredibly even handed, with fantastic dyanmic swings transient details. Not quite as warm as tubes but by no means cold, or even neutral for that matter. Im a huge fan of their gear. 
I took interest in the A21SE. Missed an opportunity tp purchase a used A21 offered here on AG. 
At it’s price point the A21SE seems to be an outstanding value. 
Thanx for the LA-4 review. If the inputs were only remote selectable it would be perfect. Still, I can hardly control my lust.
Congratulations.
joneill; Mercury is enjoying life in Santa Fe now as my active ATC 40s simply demand SS.  They are so fast.  It is still an amazing preamp in stock form and shockingly good with V cap upgrade.

I just heard the line stage hooked up to a Leben integrated tube amp.

Wow is all I can say.  Brought some real weight to the music and the imaging was out of this world.  Never thought a solid state preamp would sound so good.

I have had an LA-4 for many years, I love it. It was first paired with a Sugden SPA_4 power amp, I now have it paired with the Sugden MPA-4 Mono blocks. Incredible control.