WTD - Active Preamp

[DSJR]

You've moved on, so hopefully not too late...

The Nak preamps weren't Pass designs I recall, only the Threshold Stasis-based power amps - and these with banks of output transistors (ten a side in the PA7 models I recall), took two hours to come on song from cold - I sold several and owned a PA5mk2 which used to just about come alive as I was going to bed on an evening music session! The ARC SP14 was in a different plane of existence with a huge deep and wide soundstage in comparison which the Croft 4PP had as well. My CA7 was well made though, but the line stage was musically bland sadly, despite the superb build *in the flesh* inside and out. Maybe they chucked too much into it, I don't know. The CA7 did easily beat a Naim 72/HiCap, but today that's not saying much as the Naim projected the sound forward and 2-D and didn't reproduce air and space as the 82/HiCap, 82/Supercap and 52/SuperCap did... Old memories here, apologies...

The CURRENT Crofts don't sound at all rosy and warm in terms of colouration. The old ones could and when I had the last 4PP preamp a very few years ago, Glenn talked me through 'neutralising' it, to bring it more up to date and it came on leaps and bounds. He wanted it back to do the phono stage and check the rest as well, but I never did it and it's long gone now sadly. I hear the Micro 25 regularly and it's superb. My vibe is that Glenn has got an honest 'tone' from the stock valves he uses, but if you wanted to sex it up, you could look out some vintage or mil-spec valves. As supplied, it's honest to the source as checked with an op-amp based preamp that has no 'sound' at all that I can hear.


The Croft phono stage is good too but MM only, but I digress.

I'm only mentioning Croft because the M25 can be upgraded later. The Micro basic available a few years ago can't be updated by Glenn and sounded a bit scrappy in comparison I remember. Glenn's a good guy and loves his music. The whole 'Keep It Simple Stupid' ideal is very much alive in his world - thank Gawd!

[struth]

ca5 was designed by John Curl and Nelson Pass

[DSJR]

OK. Doesn't excuse the musical qualities though, but 'Top End' preamps were the pits in the 80's imo and these things are now costly used so I couldn't try another to see how they are now on modern sources. I just felt I listened with my eyes too much back then and remember, the Linn Kairn hadn't come out at this time and this one moved forward over previous models (their AV preamp set to stereo was also better again over the Kairn I recall)

[Bigman80]

Hi Jim,

Cheers matey, id be interested to hear how everything sounds through the croft but I have moved in the direction of this :-


https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url...7&share_type=t

Hopefully, once completed, we could do a little bakeoff and see how they differ.

Oli I could pop by one evening with my 25R and you could try your phono stage through the linestage. I had most of Firebottles stuff running like this and they sounded rather good.

[walpurgis]

OK. Doesn't excuse the musical qualities though, but 'Top End' preamps were the pits in the 80's imo

A lot were. The Rappaport I was using was an exception though.

[hornucopia]

A lot were. The Rappaport I was using was an exception though.

On my list of 'One that got away'! I bought one, then returned it as it had a hum (I thought). Later.....etc..
Always liked the fact that they had a secret section potted up in resin!
Love to find one.