Add to the list the deHavilland UltraVerve III with the remote and a good NOS 6SN7. I am using one to drive a McCormack DNA 0.5 Deluxe and things sound glorious.
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I don't know about top ten, but, I have heard good sound from systems using the following: Emotive Audio Epifania (I own one of these) Aldo preamp (custom built preamp from a Western Electric rebuilder in Italy-transform inputs and outputs. I also own one of these) Veloce (I heard a nice system at a show using this preamp) Audionote (uk) M-10 linestage and phono preamp (you need an extra room to house these monsters with their multiple power supplies) Audionote (Kondo) M-10 linestage (I auditioned Stax Omega II headphones on a system with this linestage and bought the phones. They have NEVER sounded as good as when played through the Kondo). |
Swampwalker, I do some of the casework, farm some of it out when it's past the level of my drill press and Greenlee punches. Chrome work is done by a local plating shop that usually does bumpers and exhaust pipes; they were amused when I told them what the plates from my preamp were for. The 833 will be a true challenge, and I expect it to take the better part of this year to complete. When you're talking thousands of volts the parts are harder to find and a lot more expensive, and every connection must be triple-checked before the ultra high voltage gets anywhere near it. I'm still working out the safety systems to ensure no electrocutions or fires result. That said, it should be fun! |
The main character in the 200W SET saga: The 833C BTW, it's also a DHT, just a multi-kilovolt B+ version. |
Atma, It's a linestage. I already have a phono stage that is good down to .1mV cartridges, so I'm covered there. Swampwalker, I think it sounds great, probably because I made it to sound the way I like my music to sound. Next project is a 200+wpc SET to go along with it; I'm accumulating the parts now, with the transformers being the most challenging, but I've got a good line on those now. The LTspice simulations look great, at 218wpc with zero negative feedback. |
My favorite is the one I built for myself. It sounds EXACTLY the way I like preamps to sound...go figure. If you want something done right... And in all honesty, it beats the pants off my Supratek. |
I have owned and listened to many a preamp over the past 5-7 years and the Tube Research Labs (TRL) Dude tube preamp ranks #1 by a very wide margin. This is based on my ears and gear over the years. It can be purchased for $3800 brand new and has to be the best value in all of high end audio. At least one of them :-) Here are the others I have owned. The best of this group was the CJ LS16 V2, Thor TA1000 and Audio Horizons 2.1 fully loaded with all the possible upgrades. As you can tell I like tube preamps! Audio Horizons TP2.1 fully loaded Joule LA100 MKIII Conrad Johnson LS16 V2 Thor 1000 MK2 Tom Evans Vibe Supratek Cortese Supratek Syrah Audio Note m5 Wavac PR-X1 Rowland Concerto Rowland Capri Cary SLP98 Aesthetix Calypso Tube Distinctions SoulMate Placette passive Wright Sound WLA 12A Aloia 11.01 Belles 21A Rogue 99 Buy the Dude for the sound as the fit and finish are good or OK, but not like a CJ etc... With the Dude it's all about the sound. It completely changed my audio experience by delivering music in a way that is so effortless, dynamic and at ease. I had thought this experience was simply not possible with electronics. Never feel the need to try another. |
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Below is my ranking. I owned them all except for the Cortese, which spent an afternoon in my system compliments of a friend. 1. SMc VRE-1 2. First Sound Deluxe Mk II 3. SupraTek Cortese 4. Joule La-150 Mk I 5. Blue Circle BC-3 6. McIntosh C-15 I never thought I would end up with a solid state preamp, but after 18 months I have not felt the slightest itch to change or try something different. |
Of course I am a tube pre fan, having owned ARC, CAT, Lamm, and currently Atma-sphere and Joule preamps, and all of you are fans too, but I would suggest that just on a lark, and for only $450 you try a Lightspeed Attenuator if you have a tube amp (100kohm input impedance). It is limited to one rca input and output, but compare it with your megabuck preamps and see what you think. I have had some dissapointmet with variour passives (resistor, TVCs and AVCs) but this humble little preamp is the best I have heard in my system. Even if you stick with your tube preamps, I'm not getting rid of mine, it makes for an interesting backup, at the very least, and perhaps you might find that you like it better than anything you throw up against it. Some thought to system matching is needed (as using SETs would be) but if you can get used to the idea of using a $450 preamp in your $50,000 setups, you might be surprised. My recommedation now for SOTA sound at a bargain prices is a Music Reference RM10 amp matched with the Lightspeed. With the money of the gear being discussed here, it is worth a try IMHO. |
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That Lamm LL2 Deluxe was a real sleeper, and I never knew why, maybe too "cheap" for folks to believe it could be as good as it is - I wish I had not sold that one. "Low prices" might be a "problem" for linestages like the Lightspeed Attenuator from Australia which will give any of the tube linestages mentioned in this thread a run for their money in the right system, and at $450, I mean that literally. |
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Blindjim, Relating to your last paragraph, I forgot to add that I love the sound of my Marantz 7c. So now I have 5 nominees (well, the topic is top ten) :-) Straight up, I bought the 7c because I loved the looks of it and I've been watching them continue to go up in value. I just hoped it sounded half way decent. When I got it home, I put it in place of CT-5 driving Pass ss. It was/is what you said in your last paragraph. This may be my favorite pre. It does "something" I really like that goes straight to my heart. I listen to music at different times and for different reasons. I'm glad this isn't the only pre I have. I'd hate to use it as a daily workhorse given its age, etc. I use it when the time comes for it. For the record, my CT-5 and ACT 2.2 continue to sound more tube like as they age. They both have those "teflon caps" in them that are reported to take a long time to break in. The ART 2 does not and it's one of the reasons I haven't sent it to CJ to have it made into an ART 3. I like the "some definite departure or distinctive and easily noteable differences between those camps..." you mentioned. I was happy with the teflon CJ's after the basic "couple hundred" hours but they continue to get better. I don't think it's "me" getting used to them as I have the 7c as one standard. Solves the paradox: Is it the equipment that breaks in or "us" acclimating to it? Or a little of one and more of the other? |
Onemug Great! As much as I see the approach CJ is taking lately, I prefer the older version's take on the sound better, and why I enjoy the Thor so much. It has both the speed and harmonic quality found in tube gear with no hint of SS what so ever. I've not heard the aRT preamps though. Did hear the CT5 with the 170 wpc CJ tube amps. I feel if a thing has tubes in it, it should sound like it has tubes in it and not try to be SS sounding. There should be some definite departure or distinctive and easily noteable differences between those camps.... or why bother with glass in the first place? |