Thanks Charles, I'm looking forward to the listening impressions as well! It's been a long journey getting my PREs up and running and it's really nice to be finally getting there. Hopefully the preamp will put me in a place where I'm just tweaking the system to take it from great to even better.
Preamp Input for Coincident system - Don Sachs, deHavilland, LTA, Joule Electra?
Hi all, I'm looking to spend around 2k on a pre-amp (either new or used) to pair with my Coincident PREs (currently using their Frankenstein mono-blocks as amps; input impedance of 100kOhms).
I'm looking for something very natural sounding, with good body, some warmth, and -importantly- it must have a remote. The PREs are very sensitive up on top, so I need clean highs.
I've been reading a lot of threads and have a few contenders. Am hoping to solicit some input from anyone who might have compared the following (with PROs / CONs listed):
1. Don Sachs SP14 - good reviews, available in budget new / long wait to get a unit
2. LTA MZ2 - some awesome reviews, available with 10-day trial period / some "meh" revies, perhaps a bit of a "clean" sound?
3. deHavilland UltraVerve 3 - good reviews mentioning the "relaxing" nature - a good key word for me / new it is out of budget at 3k
4. Joule Electra LA-150 MKII - in budget used, reviews mention strengths in "tone" & "texture" - highly desirable for me / a fairly old product
Other things to note...
I'm currently running a PS Audio PW DAC directly to my amps and listen to all types of music; perhaps currently tilted towards "modern" music with electronica and indie influences. I stream Tidal via ethernet via PS Audio's Bridge II card in the dac.
While I'm sure others will criticize the DAC, I really like the PWD and it has compared favorably to both a DirectStream (the music became less natural and more analytical) and Lyngdorf TDAI 3400 (the music was very smooth, but slightly less natural with a less well delineated soundstage).
Unfortunately, the PWD has a bad volume control (throwing away bits at under 50% volume) and the new PREs really show that distortion off. As such, I don't like listening at low volumes... hence the desire to add a pre-amp.
Also, obviously I'd love to get Coincident's 101D pre-amp, but I need the remote, so it doesn't work for me. I tracked the remote version for a long time and was hoping to save up money to purchase, but apparently it was plagued by technical difficulties and often needed service (presumably that's the reason Isreal discontinued it).
Appreciate any input.
- Chris
I'm looking for something very natural sounding, with good body, some warmth, and -importantly- it must have a remote. The PREs are very sensitive up on top, so I need clean highs.
I've been reading a lot of threads and have a few contenders. Am hoping to solicit some input from anyone who might have compared the following (with PROs / CONs listed):
1. Don Sachs SP14 - good reviews, available in budget new / long wait to get a unit
2. LTA MZ2 - some awesome reviews, available with 10-day trial period / some "meh" revies, perhaps a bit of a "clean" sound?
3. deHavilland UltraVerve 3 - good reviews mentioning the "relaxing" nature - a good key word for me / new it is out of budget at 3k
4. Joule Electra LA-150 MKII - in budget used, reviews mention strengths in "tone" & "texture" - highly desirable for me / a fairly old product
Other things to note...
I'm currently running a PS Audio PW DAC directly to my amps and listen to all types of music; perhaps currently tilted towards "modern" music with electronica and indie influences. I stream Tidal via ethernet via PS Audio's Bridge II card in the dac.
While I'm sure others will criticize the DAC, I really like the PWD and it has compared favorably to both a DirectStream (the music became less natural and more analytical) and Lyngdorf TDAI 3400 (the music was very smooth, but slightly less natural with a less well delineated soundstage).
Unfortunately, the PWD has a bad volume control (throwing away bits at under 50% volume) and the new PREs really show that distortion off. As such, I don't like listening at low volumes... hence the desire to add a pre-amp.
Also, obviously I'd love to get Coincident's 101D pre-amp, but I need the remote, so it doesn't work for me. I tracked the remote version for a long time and was hoping to save up money to purchase, but apparently it was plagued by technical difficulties and often needed service (presumably that's the reason Isreal discontinued it).
Appreciate any input.
- Chris
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- 31 posts total
- 31 posts total