My experience and comments match exactly those of the previous two posts, when I used the LA-150 Special Edition - even better bass performance - one of the very worthy contenders for consideration in any SOTA system. No one can tell you if you will love them, but that won't be a matter of quality, but taste. |
Which 150 do you mean? The 150 MKI or the 150 SE (sorry Signature Edition,
not Special Edition)? |
The difference between II and I is much greater than the difference between III & SE, I think II & SE are much more musical than I, there was some change in the tubes used and possibly the circuit in the move from I to II/SE, Is SE an improvement over II, sure, a bit, but after moving from II to SE, I found that it would have been perfectly easy to live with II and be perfectly content - both are very fine preamplifiers that suit my sonic preference very well. |
I think based on what you are looking for, the Joule will not disappoint. Good luck! Hope you like it. |
Both good, but if you are already into the Joule camp, stay there. |
Yeah, that LA-150MK I used the 6H30 tubes, no? |
My mistake, that sounds right. Jud seemed to correct that detour rather quickly. |
What amps and speakers are you using with the 450? |
Have not heard the 450, but owned the 150 SE - in my view the Joules, and I
have to assume they are voiced pretty similarly from 150-300-450 certainly
have character, it just happens to be a character I really like - all it takes is
listening to something like a Lightspeed/BENT/Placette passive to notice the
Joule has character and vivid tonal color - nothing wrong with that, I happen to
love it - but it does not sound like the color of water IMHO.
In fact, compared it to a CAT SL1 - loved both, but the Joule seemed warmer
compared with the CAT - again not a bad thing, a matter of taste - I lean
towards the Joule, but both are first rate and that could change with
amp/speakers used with one to the other. |
I would think that the Joule is a particularly good match with SS, not only because you can adjust the output impedance, but I think Joule brings a tonal richness and dimensionality to the sound that brings just a touch of what tube lovers love about tubes to a tube/ss combo - worked great driving a Pass XA30.5. Also works very well with the Atma-sphere OTLs and an solid option if the VSN amps are out of your price range - though you would probably opt for their own preamp. |
Yup. I think their low setting is 400ohms OI, which should work with just about any SS amp, at least in terms of impedance. Would love to hear the 450, well, maybe at a show in the Merlin room. |
It does seem many have concluded the MKI was a dud, not typical Jud. The MKII was wonderful, and the SE version even a bit better, but not sure I would bother with that upgrade, unless I simply had the itch, the MKII pretty darn good in its own right. |
Never heard the Tom Evans, though I would like too. I do wonder if the MKII left you wanting, if the SE will make the difference for you. I think if you really loved the MKII, you would love the SE even more, but I'm not sure it will bridge the gap from dissatified to love - and nothing is more dynamince than the CAT! |
