2. amps-preamps
  3. 178503-114571

Which would you choose for good sounding tube preamp for an audiophile new to tubes.

I need your help guys. I would like to add a tube preamp to pair with my reference 200.2 B&K amplifier. My speakers are large ADS L1590 towers ( 90 DB efficiency rating). They were a flagship back in the day. I have had them restored by an ads tech. I am l looking at  a QUICKSILVER LINESTAGE LS PREAMPLIFIER, VTL 5.5 preamplifier, and a Sonic Frontiers SFL-1. All are currently used and on audiomart or audiogon. The Sonic Frontiers is for sale on hi-fi heaven. I purchased from them before and they check out the equipment that is preowned. My system is a little bright and dynamic sounding using the sonata B&K preamp. (There best at the time). I am looking for a little warmth in the sound and no harshness. I want some slam and afraid I will lose it if I go with tubes.  I have had success buying certain units because of the knowledge dispensed through this forum I am a member of Audiogon in good standing. Any help would be great. I appreciate the feedback. 

128x128arichison

Showing 2 responses by cey

cey's avatar
cey
292 posts
 

whats ur budget?

ok, for under a grand:

above all, audio by van alstine transcendence 10 RB also known as T10. get it from frank van alstine for a grand, or get it used. fantastic headphone feature. i think theres one on fleabay fight now that the guy keeps relisting. you can prolly get it for a fair price. itll drive ur amp just fine. quality at this price point is off the chain. add a fantastic phono stage for $379 avahifi.com 

bottlehead moreplay or foreplay. everyone loves it. comes as a kit new but very budget used.  high output impedance by modern standards. dunno what amp to pair it with, but everyone likes this. i reckon will want an amp with very high input impedance, tho i dunno how much.

rogue audio. folks really dig the rogue audio tube preamps

used gear under $1000:

the clasic: a restored dynaco pas-3 or 3x. unmodded its a lil noisy, and youll need an amp with at least 100k in put impedance. a cheapo is adcom gfa 535. the good one is only gra-535. 

scott and fisher got some great tube pres with good phono sections. 

quicksilver but i cant remember the name Audible Illusions Modulus, but i think its hybrid.

Anthem PRE 1L right now on fleabay. IIRC these are "warm but good." 

bottlehead moreplay/fureplay

best of luck!
 

cey's avatar
cey
292 posts
 

after rereading ur post, i suggest  audio by van alstine fet valve preamp. wont sound very tubey. the Transcendence 10 sounds a lil tubier. 

i have the fet valve RB, which has no features. nothing. just volume and selector. i dont really care about features, and oneof my other preamps has a bajillion in case i need any or feel like usin some. 

avahifi.com

a used conrad johnson PV8 or PV5 will give u classic, elegant tube sound. i have the 8, which is the odel that replaced the 5. the 8 is $1200, and the 5 usually goes for a little bit more. its the more desirable model and the more classic sound, tho the 8 is an upgrade in performance, noise, etc. now, it aint  a vintage tube sound but certainly a high class classic tube sound. 

erhard audio makes kickass tube preamps as well. 

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