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Sunfire Classic Tube Preamp or ARC SP14?

Hello! I'm planning on purchasing a tube preamp for my Dynaudio Air20 powered monitors. I've narrowed it down to a Sunfire Classic Tube pre and an Audio Research SP14.

I don't want to spend over $1,500 (give or take a few hundred). I'm looking for a extremely detailed sound that retains impulse response so I can hear fundamental notes. I am a drummer and a main objective of mine, other than just enjoying music, is to analyze drum sections of music.

I realize the first obvious choice would be to go solid state, but I do enjoy a bit of the warmth of tubes, not to mention a 3d soundstage that is large. I definitely want to stay away from the soft tube sound.

I've read great things about the Sunfire (great detail, huge soundstage, tight bass) but I realize its fully tube, whereas the SP14 is a hybrid. I'm thinking the fact that it's a hybrid may give me the immediacy and impulse response I'm looking for.

Has anyone had a chance to compare these two preamps?

There are many other choices out there but I'm wary of trying smaller companies because I don't have access to listening to many of them. I also would like to avoid getting into the extended buying/selling process in order to find something appropriate.
woofer72
6 responses Add your response
zd542
5,339 posts
 
You can't predict how a component will sound by looking at generic features. There's nothing that says a solid state preamp can't image, and also have less "warmth" than SS.

"There are many other choices out there but I'm wary of trying smaller companies because I don't have access to listening to many of them. I also would like to avoid getting into the extended buying/selling process in order to find something appropriate."

The only way to avoid that is to make the choice yourself.

Also, I think your speakers have a built in dac/preamp. If so, you're just wasting money on a separate preamp. Why buy a preamp only to have the signal coming from it converted to digital, then back to analog and run it through a 2nd active linestage?
mitch4t's avatar
mitch4t
1,610 posts
 
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I'm a huge Bob Carver fan. I had the Sunfire Classic Tube preamp and it had a very 'thin' presentation and I got rid of it. One of the worst sounding preamps that I've ever owned. I later read that later renditions of that preamp had a beefier power supply that provided a much fuller sound than the earlier units. I don't know how you can tell which units have the supposed beefier power supply.
I did own the Carver C-19 Tube preamp, it was better than the Sunfire preamp.
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mattmiller's avatar
mattmiller
1,497 posts
 
Based on the two preamps you have chosen, go with the Audio Research. Hands down.
woofer72 OP
27 posts
 
Generally speaking, I've found tubes to be warmer. There are exceptions, of course. I don't think the Air 20 has a built in pre, more like attenuation for the amp. It can also run in analog mode.

In response to Mtich- thank you. What pre did you wind up with after the Sunfire?
Also- do you know if the Sunfire has a truly balanced output or are they just XLR outputs without a balanced circuit?
mitch4t's avatar
mitch4t
1,610 posts
 
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Woof..after the Sunfire, I've mostly had Audio Research preamps, and I loved ALL of them except the SP9 Mk2 (too thin sounding).

I had Pass Labs XO-2, its flagship preamp at the time. The Audio Research preamps smoked it (Ref2 mk2 and Ref3.
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oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa
4,867 posts
 
I had the SP-14 in my system for many years and enjoyed it a lot. At the time, I had Accustat IV electrostatic panels all driven by either a pair of Atmosphere 60 monoblocks or an ARC Classic 60. There were times, usually late at night, or early morning, when the power coming into the house was really pure, that the realism was amazing. There is only one tube in the SP-14, and that is in the phono section. If you get the SP-14, buy two tube dampener rings from ARC and place them as far up the tube as possible .. and be sure they are touching each other. It makes for a definite improvement.
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