Which PreAmp for Marantz PM KI Ruby

Interesting. The reason I considered the upgrade was that when I played around with the RME as pre amp, I noticed a considerable difference in sound quality, mainly soundstage and imaging improved (to my shock). There’s a chance that it may not be an improvement to some people, but can’t deny the fact that there was an audible difference.

@russ69 in addition to space constraints (NYC apartment), I’ve always liked the tightness of a bookshelf. I also have to admit that I compared towers in the same price range or less as the dynaudio bookshelf’s I own. Any speaker recommendations that will share good chemistry with the rest of the gear (assuming i keep the electronics)?  

Any speaker recommendations that will share good chemistry with the rest of the gear (assuming i keep the electronics)?  

Triangle Signature Thedas, maybe? Probably any of the next level bookshelf loudspeaker.  

Thanks @russ69 I’ll check it out. 

@prashanth13485 ,  the preamp section in the Ruby is quite good, but you could put something in front of the amp and change up the flavor.  I'm going to try this myself, as I own the Ruby.  I've been pretty smitten with it that I haven't put in a preamp yet.  When I do, I'm going to put a tube preamp in front of it so as to try to hear a big difference in sound. 

Would you consider going to a tube preamp?  

Hello @prashanth13485,

I haven't tried different preamplifiers with my PM-KI Ruby, but I did experiment with the variable output of my PS Audio DirectStream DSD Sr. I preferred the sound from the DSD Sr.; it was more focused, less colored, and more defined spatially, although it lost a lot of soundstage depth and width.

My impression is that part of the sound signature is designed and achieved in the preamplifier section. Ultimately, I decided to keep the DAC connected at line level, not because of the sound quality, but due to the poor ergonomics and quality of the PS Audio volume control. There's a lag with the PS Audio DSD remote volume control, and the remote itself is made of cheap plastic, which is disappointing given the quality of the DAC. By connecting it this way, I have my wonderful soundstage back.

For reference, I also have an Audio Research Reference 6 and Pass Labs X250.5 in another system and have tried many other components before. The Rubys are wonderful for what they aim to be: very musical, with a nice signature, and a world-class soundstage in a beautiful and compact package.