"I upgraded to an Aurender N200 to pair with my DAC and feel it was a worth while choice despite it's price tag. I don't even play CDs anymore "
Whats this....C..D... thing you speak of?
Are higher end preamps worth the investment when you are only streaming Tidal & Spotify ?
Amp: Modwright 150SE
Speakers: Aerial Acoustics 7T
Streamer/DAC/ : NAD C658
With the goal of achieving higher fidelity, would a 10k -12k MSRP preamplifier be overkill when you only stream from Tidal or Spotify? Do higher end preamplifier applications mostly apply to vinyl and /or high end transports vs subscription streaming?
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- 51 posts total
@puffbojie I used to own the Modwright KWA 150SE. I actually had two of them in mono at one point and went back down to one. Yes, a preamp will do wonders for you, especially if streaming Tidal or Spotify. IMO the Modwright LS-36.5 DM is one of the best preamps, especially maxxed out with good tubes. When I had mine, I started without the DM, so it was just the single chassis. That already was leaps and bounds better than Dan’s SWL 9.0 SE. the DM upgrade was yet another league higher. I no longer own Modwright gear but have always been a fan. The NAD C658 is not that bad of a DAC, especially due to its DIRAC features. Otherwise it by itself is still a clean DAC. While I like BluOS, you also will get much better quality from digital files by having a dedicated streamer. I am partial to Aurender and became an Aurender dealer because of my positive experiences with them over other brands, but there are a lot to choose from. I’m fairly certain with your system, you will get greater sonic gain by investing in a good preamp first and streamer second. Nobody has brought it up, but quality power will also be a huge contributor in advancing your system’s sonic performance. The KWA 150 SE is a high current amplifier and will benefit from a quality conditioner and aftermarket power cable. |
@vonhelmholtz and OP I don’t know if I should ask you why you think that you need room equalization, or question myself as to why I think that I don’t need room equalization. Post some measurements. |
OK, to the crowd that is voting preamp I am scratching my head. I have a Marantz surround processor and a dedicated Sony Signature TAZH1 ES that functions as a DAC/preamp/headphone amp. It is a cost no object dac/pre from the best engineers at Sony and was 5 years in the making. It sounds transparent as anything, but not "better" than my Marantz unit on 2 channel, just different. What is this preamp that will unleash this magic?? How much do I need to drop? My current 2 channel Sony preamp/dac/headphone amp: https://www.sony-asia.com/electronics/audio-components/ta-zh1es
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- 51 posts total