Suggestions for a holographic preamp?
I'm looking to replacing my Herron Audio tube line stage with something else, not because of a problem with the sound, but for a few other reasons.
I do both digital and analog, and have a Herron Audio tube phono preamp. My power amp is an MSB S-200, which is awesome, and my speakers are Marten Parker Duos, which are wonderful for a deep, holographic soundstage that I like so much.
I listen mostly to rock and reggae, and I'm looking to keep the price under $10K US, and I'm fine with a used one as well.
I get the feeling that I will need a tube preamp to get that holographic sound, but perhaps there are some SS ones that do as good a job?
The fellow I work with at The Music Room suggested a ModWright LS-100 or a used PS Audio BHK preamp; I've researched and they both look like they'd fit the bill, but I'd like to hear your suggestions, too!
@larsman One other tip when investigating preamps: The output impedance is usually specified at 1KHz. But if you want to have the preamp play bass as well as it does the midrange, the output impedance at 20Hz is nice to know too. If the preamp has output coupling caps or an output transformer, its likely its output impedance is much higher at 20Hz; particularly in the case of the former. |
@larsman Many mute circuits have the potential to mess with the sound. Since your amp has a balanced input you might consider a balanced preamp as well. If you do, its helpful if that preamp supports AES48, the balanced line standard. The standard helps prevent the interconnect cable from having a 'sound' (coloration). There are not many tube balanced preamps that support the standard. Many audiophiles don't realize how important that is; getting rid of cable interactions in the system opens up transparency which contributes to a more holographic sound stage. |
