Perhaps the CTC BLOWTORCH belongs in this discussion. |
I switched from a Joule LA300ME to the Atmasphere MP1Mk3.1 and like it very much. Both preamps are wonderful. |
The best under $2,000 would be the Doge 8. It has an excellent line stage and a very good phono section.
At under $5,000 the Audio Horizon 2.2 is great.
At $5,000, the Coincident Technologies Linestage is as good as $20,000 linestages. The only drawback is it only has 2 inputs, ao one might have to re-think their front end. They also sell a great phono stage, but it costs about $5,500.
Under $20,000 I would opt for the Einstein The Tube Mark II. It is a great preamp and very dynamic and grit and grain-free. I have this unit and couldn't be happier. It replaced a VTL 7.5 and beats it in about every category.
The only pre-amp I have heard that I like as much is the Coincident Linestage. But the Einstein has 5 inputs instead of the 2 in the Coincident Technologies model. |
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The Veloce LS-1 is the best i have heard! WOW! |
"Joule LA300 ME if you need gain and buffering for impedance matching between sources "
Besides fantastic "magical" sound LA-300ME can have and unity gain and variable up to 11 dB and you don;t have to buffer your signal if you don;t need it: all J-E preamps have two outputs, one direct from gain stage (what today BAT does) and, and buffer in case you need it.
and I will add that tube life span is 5- 10 years and with high impedance amplifier its double.
and on the top of it, J-E preamps usually 24/7 in standby mode - so there is no need to wait for warm up, just flip switch from standby to operate..
and least important ...that Garry pearson called "the mst romantic preamplifier..." preamp to die for !!!!!!!!!!!! |
Always been a big lover of the BAT preamps. The REX is the best of that bunch. It's my choice, and favorite preamp out there. |
Joule LA300 ME if you need gain and buffering for impedance matching between sources, ICs, and amp. Have not heard the CAT Legend however..... If your source,cabling,and amp are gain and impedance matched (like mine)even these will be hard pressed to beat the Lightspeed Attenuator for controlling volume. |
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Joule-Electra LA-450ME and LA-300ME for the second place.
Also, REX by BAT, latest CAT and finally LAMM LL1 |
Ayre KXR . It may not be the ( best pre amp ever ) but its by far the best my ears have experienced . In hi end audio there really is no best , just what one likes best and thats all that really counts . |
The Aesthetix Io probably belongs somewhere in this discussion. |
Threshold Stasis R-5; Precision Fidelity C-7A Revised. |
Octave Jubilee! Burmestter 077. |
Vac, Lamm, BAT, Goldmund, FM Acoustics |
Joule Electra LA300ME. Admittedly I do own one, but it is the best I have owned AND heard AND know of! Typically I can't hold onto components....I get the gotta upgrade bug! That being said Davvy......I did put it up for sale on audiogon once, but soon changed my mind and cancelled the add. |
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I cast my vote for the Veloce Audio LS1 battery powered tube preamp that made my Vac Renaissance sound broken by comparison. The Veloce phono stage that pigtails off the preamp is absolutely the best I have ever heard as well. |
Joule Electra LA 300ME
I'll wager you'll never see one up for sale on Agon! |
Shindo - The best model you can afford. |
Stringreen, Rufipennis mentioned the KX-R above. And the reason I did not respond with the KX-R (even though I own it) is that I am not sure if you can ever christen any component as the "best" ever :-) |
I find it amazing that no one mentioned Ayre's M series, or even the K series |
Wyetech Opal. Owners almost never sell them; that should tell you something. Legacy product, will pass on to my kids.
Neal |
I have heard many nice pre amps and i would like to own them all if i had the money.
ML 32 (not in my set)
ARC (in my set)
Nagra ( especially on higher volumes ,on low volume a bit lean, currently)
The one that jumped out even on low volume with tonal colours and resolution , although not in my one set and maybe not completely neutral after a while
Zanden model 3000
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After many actives and many passives, the Lightspeed Attenuator - though single source only and no gain. And all of $450!. I am curious about The Truth preamp though. |
VAC Signature Mk2a. There is a current review by Dagogo. Importantly, it doesn't require specific amps or speakers to do its job exceptionally well. A Statement piece. |
The best preamplifier in the world at the moment is the Tidal Presencio (by far). There are some other super league preamps by Tidal, Sovereign, Wavac, Dartzeel etc but Presencio belongs in a different class altogether. |
This doesn't seem to be tallying. I will say that the best preamplifier ever when using the Joule VZN Amps with Merlin VSM speakers is the Joule LA300 ME. |
what about the VAC phi beta or signature renaissance? |
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Balanced Audio Technology (BAT) .. Rex |
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Conrad Johnson ART series 2. |
A little long in the tooth, but a contender none the less is the Sonic Frontiers Line 3, particularly if you allow one that has had a recent Chris Johnson "full monty" mod performed. Not strictly production, but... |
Problems one runs into with these threads apart from taste and the very different systems a pre-amp may be part of, are of course that no-one really heard them all and it is a moving target over time. Which is why I find it interesting this thread is being revived after almost five years.
So, I'll translate "best" in "best I ever heard" and then it is, yes you guessed it, yet another name:
Tidal Presencio
I heard this when Lothar, its designer, was still putting the finishing hand on it. Even then, it was a stellar performance, completely beyond competition for anything I have had the pleasure to hear so far (with a price ticket to match, admittedly). |
Form this list, you would think there isn't a preamplifier out there isn't the best preamp ever. |
I´d like to add another top pre-power combo: Jeff Rowland 301 and Coherence II - stunning looks, build quality and sound especially when they drive Avalon Eidolon N Diamond.. Two other names: FM Acoustics and Goldmund.. |
Great post, John. Naturally I agree with your choice but also with the overall view that an "absolute" best doesn't exist. For what it's worth, there are a few very nice tube units as well. It's all about system synergy (careful matching) and personal taste. To-MAY-to, To-MAH-to :-)
Brian |
CTC Blowtorch...but Pedrillo, I don't think you're going to ever get a "...genuinely accurate picture of which is the best preamplifier". Tallying these responses is skewed (obviously) by what people have heard, so preamps that are more expensive and/or harder to get hold of are prone to getting fewer "votes". Even more of a problem: how many people who "vote" (including me!) have heard ALL of the "serious" contenders in their OWN SYSTEMS, and with all other variables COMPLETELY CONTROLLED (i.e. to see what each preamp's "character" is really like relative to others). To further complicate matters: I'd venture many of us have had the experience of inserting a new product into our systems that someone we trust has recommended as being better - and THEN having been disappointed with the new product. This has happened to me enough times that I have learned a very important lesson: one tends to get in "trouble" when he assumes the relative quality of two components without trying other things (cable changes, room treatments, speaker or head position, etc) to make each component sound it's best, i.e. tweaking things a bit. I think I understand your desire for a definitive and absolute answer on preamps. I just don't think it's possible for ANY component. |
Wyetech Opal.Once you hear it you will not change. Only reason its not on many lists (although it is on HP's in TAS) is because they do not advertise and have only 2 dealers. This keeps marketing costs down, so the price of an Opal is about 50% less than it normally would be.
Neal |
Rmaidenberg: I´ve heard very good things about CJ ACT 2. I´ve an option on the forthcoming (release autum/winter 2005) fully balanced PL-P MK II (or however it will be called). I strongly believe this one will be very hard to beat. Can´t comment on current PL-P vs. ACT 2 but PL-P vs. many others (see my thread best pre under US 10.000,00. The best I´ve heard is Boulder 1012 - stunning detail, clarity, space, speed, etc. Spectral as well was very good. |
Jadis JPS2
Audio Note Japan KSL-M7
Lamm L2 Reference
Meridian 861
Canary CA-903 |
I did an A-B with the Levinson 320S and the Nagra. The Nagra made the Levinson sound dull and lifeless.
I then did an A-B with the Nagra & the CJ ACT2. The CJ made the Nagra sound dull and lifeless. |
Boulder 1012, Spectral DMC 30SL and Nagra PL-P |
MFA MC Reference. Nothing like it. |
Messenger Preamp!
One of the most natural and musical midranges I have heard.
http://www.acousticimage.com/Messenger.htm |
A real sleeper. Battery powered with a smartly designed charger that never lets the preamp see VAC. Unlike some other battery powered preamps I've heard, the Quantum passes all of the bass signal. Remote control is not a part of the design philosophy here. Thank you. Unexpectedly, my new favorite feature of the Quantum are the two phase inversion toggle switches on the rear panel. It seems recordings are made with no default phase and some heavily multitracked recordings have individual tracks out of phase all together. Filping these switches can have a positive effect on most purist recordings. |
Matching the proper components,Placette Passive!
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Just bought a Hovland 200 with phono. Can't wait!
David |
