Unless you have a tremendous interest in emphases on detail at all cost, or excessive heavy bass (only like rock)... then the best Audio Research Preamp you can find. Ref 5 or 5SE... if you can. I have owned Audio Research preamps and prized their sound over different solid state (like Pass) and other tubed (McIntosh and CJ) for 35 of the last 50 years. Their sound has gotten better and better. Detailed, natural, midrange bloom, outstanding soundstage, great bass... I recently upgraded my REF 5SE to 6SE... but honestly they are in a class of there own. With the New REF 160s amp... my system really went to a new lever. Audio Research preamps have always had a magical sound to them.
Preamps opinion
Hello all,
My setup contains atc scm 40 mk2 speakers, hegel h160 as a pre, and bryston 4bsst2 power amp... Now I want to change my hegel h160 with a dedicated pre amplifier.
My candidates on second hand are bryston bp26, audio research ls 26, ref 3, ref 5se(if i find budget)
What are your opinions about these matches?
My setup contains atc scm 40 mk2 speakers, hegel h160 as a pre, and bryston 4bsst2 power amp... Now I want to change my hegel h160 with a dedicated pre amplifier.
My candidates on second hand are bryston bp26, audio research ls 26, ref 3, ref 5se(if i find budget)
What are your opinions about these matches?
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- 17 posts total
spitzer45 You’ve got 2 x gains you can have on the Bryston 23dB or 29dB, this will be ideal for a Schiit Freya+ pre SE or XLR, 3 different peamps in one passive, tube or solid state. And it’s got remote. https://www.schiit.com/products/freya-1 Cheers George |
- 17 posts total