Im new to this forum but have spent few months reading into posts. The more i read the more i get confused on my first purchase of a Good quality Tube Pre-amp. At this very moment I have always used Solid states pre-amp but after hearing the Audio Research Arc Ref 5 and 3 I am on the upgrade bug. Considering these units cost allot of money I need some suggestion if there are other Tube Pre-Amp which can either match similar levels to the Arc Ref 5 or better it.
I am not bothered about name brands or looks of the unit rather on how it presents the music to me. I have not own a Tube Gear before in my life, and not sure on how to go about it. BTW I am in Indonesia (A British Expat Working and Living Here)
Demoing unit is out of the question here, even buying a unit here is so much more expensive then back at home In the UK. I prefer to Buy from USA (Will use a Power converter if needed)
My Current Setup is: Speakers: Philharmonics 3 Amplifier: Audio GD Master 2 Series Mono Blocks (Will Upgrade Later to Krell, Macintosh or Pass) CD player: Oppo 95 Using on Board DAC for the time being. Looking to upgrade later on for DAC Room: Heavily treated, with Foam, Acoustic Panels, Bass Traps in all 4 Corners.
Budget less than 6000 Dollars.
Need Performance Level Matching that of Arc Ref 5Se or better.
Need suggestion and opinion on how to go about this. I prefer fasting sound more to neutral. Slight warm but not too much. I did find Cary SLP05 Pretty Warm, however on Ebay it slipped my fingers otherwise I was going to pull the trigger on that. I will being pairing this with Solid State Amplifier don’t want to get into Power Amps using Tubes for the next few years at least.
Dragon_vibe, I bought the Dude based on the postings here and everything that is said is true. It truly changed what I thought was possible with my system.
Consider the amount of marketing a company does and whether they have a resellar/distributor model. If they do, part of what your purchase price is for those things. It is obvious to at least me, the money you are paying for a Dude all goes into quality parts, labor and unbelievable sound quality and nothing else.
They are also good preamps as you know Rx8man, but the Dude is so special I sometimes must let others know. I realize a potential buyer must be comportable buying from a small operation.
Dragon, forgot to mention that Paul makes Dudes to suit whatever needs you have. So Dudes have different inputs, outputs, tubes types etc... to fit what you want. This makes it impossible to print one set of specs as you can imagine. For example my Dude has two 6sn7 tubes per channel instead of one for more gain.....
Dragon. See my feedback and understand I am a seasoned, experienced and rational aphile. The forum you speak of is a joke and the whole thing just not worth the time given to the keystrokes in this post.
The input impedance is 147k and call the builder Paul for whatever spec you must have. Paul has sold many, many of these Dudes and most just enjoy and don't spend time on posts etc....
These are built like a tank at just shy of 70 pounds with Duelund CAST caps, Shallco attenuators, solid core copper wire throughout, hard wired by Paul one at a time, a forest of large can computer grade capacitors in the power supply, high quality resistors, ceramic tube sockets, an incredible circuit developed by Paul, and a power supply more robust then most amplifiers regardless of cost.
The unit uses 6sn7 tubes and is also tube regulated. No fuses to muck up the signal, rather a very high quality circuit breaker as the on/off. Top quality Cardas connectors throughout. An absolute tank and glorious preamp.
Paul makes every one and he does not have a marketing department, web page consultant etc..... You pay for him, his design, his circuit with no pad for middlemen or marketing. That is why it is reasonably priced.
He can and will tell you more should you call him.
Lots of us Agoners own his stuff and would not deal with or be bothered with dealing with anyone or any piece of gear not top notch.
I hope to only be sure you look at all your choices in an educated manner. Some prefer to deal with large companies with no wait time and many people behind the scenes. I happen to like buying from small companies of one or two people. I find this is where brilliance and incredible value and be found. If I need to know something, I ask the man to designed and built it. No need for a fancy spec sheet or whatever.
In terms of seeing or hearing a unit you can call Paul to locate an owner near you. Lots of Dude pics on the net by the way. Even internals.
I owned the Dodd buffer and replaced it with the Dude. There is absolutely no comparison between the two. The Dude is the real deal. The only reason I sold mine is that I need a balanced pre for my balanced source.
The more i read about Dude, The more im finding its only a small circle of people who own this and talk about it the most for marketting. However no real world specification is shown or any good close up images on the internal.
Head fi has a post claimsing its all a scam....hmmm where are the real picture and spec if its that good surly it should not be big sales talk about having no time. Not being offensive but come on 6000 few other boutiqe stores got it right with the info pics.
Are they any specification on the Big Dude? find it be alarming nothing is talked about its connectors or other technical specification which may help one to determine its synergy electronically if everything matches.
Look into the Cayin/VAS Citation I, an updating of the original HK Citation I. I've enjoyed it for over three years now and can highly recommend it, especially for vinyl. Great sound, great value.
I am looking into Dude Pre-amp now. Also been looking at the Dodd for my HT system as the Pre-amp seems to have a HT bypass. Just purchased Danley Sound Labs for the HT Room with a ATI 3007 Amplifier. Still Looking for a Denon AVP Pre-amp to upgrade that system too.
If the Dude is trully top class i am seriously considering this. Just need someone to confirm if this will outclass atleast the Ref 3 or is on similar levels to Ref 5 im happy with that.
The Dude costs $6000 and I am most confident it is as good....period. Love to compare as I would be shocked if it was not better. Price has almost nothing to do with this comparison. Now, I have listened to and compared many an expensive preamp to the Dude and am in a position to make this kind of statement. In other words, I have had the experience.
As usual, Elizabeth is on target. I *have* heard the Dodd outclass the Ref 3 but your resale will never compare to any ARC gear. The new Conrad Johnson ET5 is quite fast and can be obtained used within your budget, but I've never compared it to the ARC Ref 5.
Well the ARC 5 SE and the Cary SLP 05 are two very different sounding preamps. I find your prescribed sonic qualities a bit confusing:
I prefer fasting sound more to neutral. Slight warm but not too much.
It seems to me that you are looking for a tube preamp on the faster side of neutral. The ARC is about as fast as they come, the Cary is on the slower, musical side of neutral. Another brand on the fast side of neutral that you may consider is VAC. Aesthetix and VTL also fall into this category, as may others that I have not heard. I have not had an opportunity to listen to The Dude, so I can not comment there.
Of these, my preference would be for a VAC. I find them almost as articulate as the ARC models, but with just a subtle hint of sweetness. As always, YMMV.
The Dude is amazing and I have only compared to the Ref3 in a friends system. He had Coincident Total Victory V speakers, Bel Canto Ref 500 amps and a very nice analog front end.
The Dude just had more dynamics, scale, authority and overall ease. The AR sounded small in comparison if you will.
I can recommend the Dodd preamp if a single ended battery preamp will do. I thought it kicked my Calypso’s ass but couldn’t stomach the battery as I like to use tubes for TV and movies too. A friend tried it with compared it with an ARC Ref 5 preamp and thought the ARC sounded best with his ARC CD player but not as well with is ARC PH7 phono preamp.
A few of people here at Audiogon seem to like the Dude preamp better than some of the ARCs. You can find Dude reviews in the review section.
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