conrad johnson et5
don sachs linestage
arc reference 3
herron (by reputation, i haven’t had one)
no affiliation, just happy owner |
Bryston 7B3’s and looking to potentially upgrade my preamp from a Schiit Freya + to .......? Your 7B3’s have an input impedance of just 7.5kohm!!!, this is not very good for a good "impedance match" for any passive and most tube preamps . Search for preamps that have low output impedance, good SS ones will be the best ones to get low output impedance. The tube preamp that jjss49 mentions is a good one as it has a solid state output stage, that gives it a low output impedance, one of the very few tube pre’s that do. Conrad Johnson: "preamplifier outputs through a high-current MOSFET buffer, which achieves a very low output impedance, making the ET5 extremely flexible in the choice" Cheers George |
the goal would be increased clarity/resolution and sound stage. There are a couple Bryston BP26es for sale on eBay for around $3k that will give you these characteristics in spades. Truly like “straight wire with gain” type sound. Best way of luck. |
Nothing wrong with Maggie 1.7s, but if I had your system and looking to spend 5K on a preamp I’d look at speakers first. 1.7s are fine but they have their limitations. Yes I am very familiar with the 1.7s. |
I don’t own, but have heard, a system with Bryston preamp and amps, and I thought there was great synergy. I’d suggest (as @soix did) that you at least listen to a Bryston preamp. (I have a 4B3 but use a different preamp because my room necessitates DSP bass correction.)
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AVM has a tube output stage in its PA 5.2 and an output impedance of 100ohms. This lists for $5500 and could be a very interesting unit at the high end of your budget. This is an extremely smooth sounding and enjoyable preamp. For jazz, it would be brilliant. If you like a tube sound but need SS performance, this could be an amazing option for you.
There is a new AVM PA 30.3 coming out in the next two months or so and have an output impedance of 50ohms. This thing is feature packed! Obviously I haven’t heard this yet but I have yet to hear anything from AVM I don’t love.
The Musical Fidelity M8 Pre has an output impedance of 47ohms and is just under $5k list. MF is known to be very Musical and a strong value since it is made in Taiwan.
At a lower price, the M6s Pre also has an output impedance of 47ohms and at a list of $1900 represents an amazing value.
These should work with you Bryston amps well. These are neutral to slightly warm in sound profile.
If you would like to discuss further, want the manuals or need additional info, feel free to PM me.
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Thank you jjss49. The Conrad Johnson looks like an interesting option. Funny you mention the Herron as I was looking at one yesterday. I've never heard one and the lack of reviews makes me a tad nervous.
@georghifi, i read that you want to have a minimum of a 10x different between your preamp output impedance and your amps input impedance. My current Freya+ has a 600ohm impedance in bridged configuration. The 7.5kohms of the Brystons exceed that but I'm sure it's far from optimal. Would you recommend trying to at or under 100ohm for the preamp?
@adg101, I completely agree. I priced out the 20.7's had my current listening room would accommodate a speaker of that size but I'm contemplating a move in the next six months and don't want to commit to a speaker of that size and investment until I know where I'm going to be long term. In the meantime, I thought I could start upgrading the rest of the chain and when I do settle down I'll be able to get the most out of the upgraded speakers.
Thank you Verdantaudio. I'll give the AVM PA5.2 a close look. Appreciate the information and will certainly reach out with any questions.
Thank you all.
Mike |
Cayin SC6 dual mono @ $1500, best bang for the $ |
Brother, if you've got that kind of budget(2 big Bryston amps and then up to 5K for a pre) you should be going straight to a high end audio shop that carries the Maggies and amps/pre's that complement them.
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The Prima Luna Evo 300 and 400 series preamps have I believe a output impedance of 256 ohm’s. They will work well with any power amp. Sound fantastic too... |
@mvrooman1526
good luck, and i am happy to help with ideas
i have a cj et5, it is a brilliant piece.... if you get one, let me know, i can walk you through some useful owner tips around tube longevity
herron's preamps are absolutely in the same class, as i understand it... i have never ever heard of a herron owner say anything but wonderful things about the sound and the man/company behind it - herron is a smaller shop, doesn't get the press and PR... but absolutely beyond reproach... |
@georghifi, i read that you want to have a minimum of a 10x different between your preamp output impedance and your amps input impedance. Yes 1:10 is mine and others min recommendation 1:50 better. You’ve got to remember also that the source if tube is looking at a paralleled impedance combination of a passive pre10k plus the Bryston amp 7.5k, total seen buy your source is 4.3k load. Cheers George |
Rogue Audio RP-7. Transparent, dynamic and silky smooth even with the stock new production tubes. |
Anyone have any experience pairing McIntosh preamps with Bryston amps? Deciding between a C47 or sticking with Bryston and going with their BP26 preamp with external power supply. |
Anyone have any experience pairing McIntosh preamps with Bryston amps? Deciding between a C47 or sticking with Bryston and going with their BP26 preamp with external power supply.
I bought a used C47 some time back and, when it first arrived, I tested it in a secondary system which had a Bryston 4B-ST amp. It had no problem driving the Bryston and I actually liked the combination. I haven’t heard the BP-26 but found the C47 to be a tad richer tonally with slightly better instrumental separation, front to back, compared to the BP25. The BP-25 had good detail and possibly a wider sound stage but all these differences were subtle. The characteristics of the 4B-ST, good and bad, were not masked by either preamp. |
