The new magnificent Linear Tube Audio MicroZOTL Preamplifier


I have spent the last 48 hours, did not go to sleep last night, listening to Linear Tube Audio's new dedicated full size, full function Micro ZOTL Preamplifier and I'm amazed, mesmerized, and delighted with what Mark Schneider in conjunction with David Berning has brought to the market with this new creation.

I'm a reviewer for hometheaterreview.com and about three years ago I awarded the "Product Of The Year" to the LTA ZOTLhead phone/preamplifier, which as a preamplifier completely out performed my $22,000.00 reference linestage!  Even today this remarkable piece, which sells for $1,700.00 with the upgraded power supply is still one of the best preamplifiers on the market.

Well, it took about three years for Mark to come up with a better "mouse trap". This new linestage is on a significantly higher qualitative performance level then its less expensive sibling and is driving my reference system to beautiful musical heights.  You can go to LTA's website to see how their new chassis work looks and the details of the internal quality of parts/construction and the explanation of the Berning's Zero Hysteresis Output Transfomer-Less circuit design.

Across every sonic attribute: timbres/color, image palpability/density, spatial qualities- air around players- tremendous soundstage depth/width/height, powerful overall dynamics, and deep extension with great low frequencies regarding tone/accuracy which gives a great foundation to the music.  All this and delivered with total liquidity and ease.  This preamplifier renders the illusion of real music better then any other linestage I have had in-house for review. 

My full review for hometheaterreview.com, with many more superlative details, will be coming out in the next few months, just wanted to give this "heads up" to the GON members because this preamp just kills it.  By the way I believe the retail cost is 4K, which is a bargain for what you get and the "magic" it will bring to your system.


teajay
mine plays my DSD tracks fine, never bothered to ask how. Much prefer the NOS dac sound

That's very interesting. I will contact them and find out what is going on. 
Vlad the owner responded. He said certain music software such as Roon converts DSD to PCM on the fly, which I never knew. No Hi Res, but you can at least listen to the music. I suggested he mention this in the specs.
By the way, does "OTL" on the name mean "output transformer less"?  But isn't it true that most tube preamp don't have output transformers on the output?
After a lot of searching I finally purchased a MZ3 pre/ headphone amp to use exclusively as a pre. I do own a MZ2 s which I purchased as a headphone amp but tried as a pre as well. I had used the MZ2 with Audio Research, Bryston and Quicksilver and was never 100 percent content with the results. The MZ2 was given a lot of positive press and individual reviews which are in my opinion well deserved and yet in my rig once the volume ( not remote) went past 12 o'clock there was a slight but obvious steeliness to the sound. Sibilants were slightly more pronounced and poor recordings just a little less enjoyable. I really enjoyed the exceptional tone , spaciousness , dynamics that were presented but that bit of dryness kept me from fully enjoying the sound. I did audition a lot of preamps in shops but wasn't able to do home auditions because I live too far away. After talking to Mark, the man is very patient by the way, I decided to try the MZ3. The MZ3 was more affordable than the others I had listened to and the in home trial with full refund seemed to make it a no brainer. Over the MZ2 I now have a remote, there is more detail and seemingly more tonal richness, more ease to the sound and most importantly the dryness is gone. There is a quality to my system that I have not heard before at home or in the shops where I auditioned new and used in the 7 - 10k range Cdn. There are a lot of variables here for sure and definitive comments are likely inappropriate but my system has never sounded better. I can say the MZ3 for me is definitely a worthwhile upgrade to the MZ2.