What qualities stand out in really good solid state preamps?

 

hilde45 OP

I haven’t been in an audio showroom for many, many years, know nothing about current equipment, which is why I talk about features, advantages of .... and specifically mention only equipment I have owned or close friends have owned. Thus I sound like a broken record, mocking bird repeating ....

I never fully trusted showroom or audio show imperfect comparisons back in the day except to get a general sense of things, what to risk some money on.

Audio shop in Brooklyn Heights, late 60’s, did the best, they rolled each speaker from big room down the hall into the listening room (no cones of other speakers in the room), comparisons by memory, but outstanding/involving was instantly obvious.

TUBES

I have inherited/owned and like Vintage tube preamps and amps, and hear differences, but usually they are using different tubes somewhere, so not true/direct comparisons. I test my own tubes, test friends tubes, give friends tubes from my collection of new/mostly used pulls that test good, never a direct comparison. I buy quad matched, test them when received, then after a while truly matched? I check everything annually just before thanksgiving.

Fisher 80 az tube mono blocks (used a few different tube types) EL37’s originally.

Fisher Receivers, 500C (3) and 800c (500c with am tuner added)

Cayin A88T (current in main system) (had to sound as good as my Fisher 80az mono blocks). They do, and I changed 6550s to KT88s, prefer them. Had Steve at VAS re-bias them (A88T m1 needed for 16 ohm taps for Vintage 16 ohm speakers. m1 bias adjustment is internal)

I use a Little Luxman 10 wpc tube integrated in my office, never compared to anything, sounds great driving my restored Vintage AR-2ax speakers. Sources: Vintage TT; Vintage R2R; Modern PC/usb out/DAC.

My friends mostly have tube equipment, in their systems, several things especially speakers and the room make differences.

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SS

I was given a McIntosh SS mc2250. Picked up and took straight to Harvey's 45th street, NYC (McIntosh Lab Day, I had made an appointment). McIntosh tested, said ’unusual specimen, accurate to 305 wpc’, 1 led out, mailed it to me, I changed it. Drove JSE Infinite Slope Model 2’s with it for years.It was designed to ’do nothing’, and that’s exactly what it did to my ears. It was the speakers that were outstanding.

At that time I compared 3 amps with 3 sets of color coded speaker wires (all home made cat 5), with WBT locking Bananas for myself and friends.

Fisher 500c tube receiver; Fisher 80az mono blocks; McIntosh SS2250, all thru the very revealing JSE’s

I also had the same content: CD; LP; 4 track Reel to Reel, pre-recorded.

EVERYONE picked LP over CD, and R2R over LP.

EVERYONE picked Tubes over SS, mono blocks generally, not always preferred to 500c receiver.

I had/have zero hum, however it wasn’t always a perfect volume match, that influences things as you know.

Yamaha SS CR-1020 Receiver for Garage/Shop system. It sounds darn good, now driving my other pair of restored AR-2ax speakers in the garage, a variety of small speakers in the shop..

It replaced prior Tandberg SS TR-1080, which I think had the most unique SS sound of any SS I have owned, wonderful sound driving a variety of speakers, two sets for garage and shop.

Never directly compared (Tandberg was not functioning, Yamaha is a big heavy beast).

so, no, I have not directly compared SS amps directly.

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Vintage, lacking remote control,

Is why I keep recommending the Chase RLC-1, especially remote volume and remote balance. I use 3 currently

Main: sources to tube preamp; preamp to Chase (volume and balance); Chase to Integrated.

Office: remote power only (Luxman physical power button stays on)

Garage Shop: thru tape loop for in/out comparison, never a difference as has been true for many many years.

From my experience, it comes down to

1. features or lack of,

NEW: understanding the remote and options buried in the menus (often need to download/read the manual).

Vintage: plan on having it refurbished by someone. Some old jacks are corroded, even slightly under-sized, Audio Classics changed all my rca jacks to new gold plated.

2. sound of it's Phono Stage: i.e. I did NOT like the sound of my McIntosh C28 SS Preamp's Phono, everything else was terrific. I love my McIntosh tube preamp's Phono.

3. trim controls, not critical but nice to have: to level out the volume of various inputs, some vintage like both my McIntosh SS and Tube preamps. Other vintage?Some new have trim controls?

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Vintage: No remote control, how get remote volume at least? Remote Balance? 

I recommend the Chase RLC-1 to add remote features to a Vintage preamp. Use thru a tape or processor loop, or in between preamp and amp, OR, skip a preamp, use it's 4 line level inputs and get all of it's optional features

They come up on hifi shark often, none now. this price is ridiculous, but it shows it well. You MUST have the remote, no controls on the unit.

 

Sound Qualities: the majority of SS amps and preamps were/are designed to change nothing audibly.

People hear differences, individual opinions or a general consensus?

Take your time, research, read, consider warranty and later service, maker's longevity, ......

Friends bring their tube phono; tube preamp; cartridges to hear on my system they are familiar with, We patch them in: compare to my tube preamp/amp, speakers the same, cables the same except their 1 set of interconnects. Occasionally we use a pair of my interconnects.

Cartridges: my TT81 can play with all 3 tonearms in play with no concern regarding ’drag’. I simply change the input on the SUT and perhaps the PASS for MM, or one of the 4 optional x factors. Also you need to have a sense of where to adjust the Cayin’s volume while on mute (I make temporary pencil marks). Tonearms remain in play so location in the program has not changed.

We hear differences, discuss them, good experience.

Jim brought 3 Beatle albums, both MONO and STEREO versions. We had a good time listening.

1st impression: MONO: you are more involved with the words/song’s lyrics. Stereo next: you are more involved with the sound, imaging, good or bad engineering.

Of course, once you know the words/lyrics, then you enjoy the STEREO version more than 1st listen.

DEFINITELY playing MONO with a true MONO Cartridge is much better than playing Mono with a Stereo cartridge, even if your preamp has a mono mode.

ANY vertical movement, dust, scuffs, dirt in bottom of grooves, slight warps is picked up as noise by the stereo cartridge, then, using preamp’s Mono Mode, that ’noise’ is DOUBLED!

 

This back panel shows the versatility that Hafler Iris had, wish I knew about it way back when (1989).

 

 

 

Stereophile Review 1989, updated 2008.

Hafler Iris, SS, all printed circuit board, is only 35 years old, my McIntosh mx110z, hand soldered Tubes, is only 58 years old. Refurbished, these things are hard to beat.

 

I keep yapping about the Chase RLC-1, this Hafler certainly adds remote control and more.

This Vintage Acoustic Research had/has a Remote Control, balanced IN/OUT

 

Acoustic Research ’sound’!

Any vintage: suppose seller says ’everything works! all new tubes!

My friend just bought a new to him Vintage Acoustic Research Tube Preamp, to replace his slightly older Acoustic Research Tube Preamp. He put new tubes in the existing unit, everything works, Acoustic Research ’sound’ right?

I went over, we did a few hours of comparative listening. The new to him unit was clearly superior, the existing unit’s sound much less focused, even wandered while listening to great Mono LPs, newer unit simply wonderful.

Some innards of the older unit ’work’, but not like they should, and if that was your first Acoustic Research listen, you would probably walk away, thinking Acoustic Research ’sound’ was not for you, and perhaps post negative comments here based on that single experience.

I do not believe in ’generalizations’.

btw, I ended up with so much more respect for his speakers after listening thru the newer Vintage AR preamp. What a difference.

I have nothing but good things about his AR Preamp/Amp combo's sound.