Tube preamp integration

My neighbor, Principal Horn player with a major orchestra, drives his old Dahlquist speakers with that amp. His preamp is a Counterpoint SA-3, table is VPI with air-bearing arm. His vinyl collection is immense and he listens often (but practices one of his eight French Horns more).

The combination is very natural, with no fatigue.

Steuspeed, sorry for not giving enough information. I am looking for a preamp for under $800. I am just looking for a simple design pre.

Recordho, thanks for the information. The Adcom amp is a great amp. The amp produce very articulate bass response with good treble response. Just want to see how a tube pre would sound in my system.

Hello everyone,

Can you suggest me to choose either Gryphon Diablo integrated amplifier or a pair of Accustic Arts PreampI Mk3 preamplifier/AmpII MK2 power amplifier?

Both specification and price of those stuffs are almost same but I don't know which one is better and has a good combination with Isophon Cassiano that I currently have.

Thanks,

You get the best of both worlds when you use tubes and solid state together. You get the sweetness of the tube preamp and the tightness of the solid state amp in the bass region. I'm using a Adcom GFA 535 (original) amp with a Tutay Modified VanAlstine Super PAS3si preamp. The sound is excellent. Very detailed and no solid state glare or harshness. Depending on which speaker you use Adcoms can be a bit forward sounding. I'm using Apogees Centaurs hybrids and Spicas. The 545 is considered one of Adcoms best sounding amps. It should be a nice balance depending on the speakers you choose of course and their placement.

Tube pre is a great way to get started on tubes. Specifics like budget and features will help with recommendations.