WTD - Active Preamp

[Bigman80]

Cheers Steve, will do.

Hi Oliver
Keep your eyes open for an adcom gfp-750.
It should be in your budget and is a stonker, much overlooked but fantastic.

Steve...

[CageyH]

Hi all,

Looking for an active preamp. Would prefer something solid state i think. Would consider valves too

No Phonostage necessary. RCA inputs and outputs ARE necessary.

Budget is around £500

Open to suggestions too.

Save up some money and get a KIN.

[Bigman80]

Save up some money and get a KIN.

Ha, the thought did cross my mind mate.

[take5]

Hi, i have an Audio Innovations L2 that i will sell for £500.

it sounds fantastic.

here is an old sale thread that I had, with some more info and pictures.

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...-valve-pre-amp

[Bigman80]

Hi, i have an Audio Innovations L2 that i will sell for £500.

it sounds fantastic.

here is an old sale thread that I had, with some more info and pictures.

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...-valve-pre-amp

Hi Brian,

Let me have a look into this unit as I'm not familiar with it at all!

Looks massive? What are the dimensions?

Thanks

Oliver

[Yomanze]

Hi all,

Looking for an active preamp. Would prefer something solid state i think. Would consider valves too

No Phonostage necessary. RCA inputs and outputs ARE necessary.

Budget is around £500

Open to suggestions too.

If you fancy a little project am sure I have a lot of the parts including the matched FETs for a DCB1 Blue, and a relay switching ready built board...

[karma67]

a perfect time oli to try a nakamichi ca-5

[Bigman80]

a perfect time oli to try a nakamichi ca-5

I worry about the Nak, I really don't like the Alps potentiometer and I'm am nearly positive the Nak has them.

[DSJR]

The Nak preamps may have an acceptable phono stage in them, but in musical terms on the line stages, they're shallow and bland by todays standards - and I owned both a CA5 and a CA7, the latter for a while until an ARC SP14 absolutely trounced it and a Croft 4PP sounded as good as the ARC for under half the money! the CA7 was a bargain at the time as the build and internal construction was so good and it was a shame the sound was so 'ordinary.'

Old preamps can be the pits these days, as the sound was often heavily 'doctored' for a sonic effect in so many so-called Top End examples. The ARC I had lacked the warm rosy glow of earlier all-valve designs and ARC soon returned to valves in their large-format products, the clear sounding but added glowing colouration returning too I feel in the LS15 and 25 i remember. I love the Crown IC-150's I have which responded so well to a minor tweak here and there plus modern op-amps of not silly bandwidth, but the volume pots are weak and to fit a modern replacement with full functionality is a bind not carried out by the faint hearted imo. They look a bit like a cooker too - cough!!! I do have a wooden case for one of mine as well... Simple signal path with loads of switchable add-ons which aren't really necessary today, but the sound changes with each recording played through it so i don't feel it gets in the way unduly.

https://www.kenrockwell.com/audio/crown/ic-150.htm



A few ss preamps I respected deeply were the original Cyrus model with balanced outs on the back (I don't know the second issue but suspect it's good too), the AVI S2000MP (the phono stage is great in a restrained way, but ONLY after 45 minutes or so - don't ask, but every sample I ever used did this and I sold and owned many samples) - the line buffer is designed specifically for long cable runs to remote power amps and sounds best doing this - it can sound a bit 'pushy' into a 1m interconnect with nearby power-amp. I didn't much care for the hype on the original MF Nu-Vista preamp but the simpler and more conventional XP-100 preamp (same case and circuit board but with normal transistors on) sounded great to me and used samples do come up occasionally. The Quad 77 preamp has a flaky two-way remote but a sweet and airy sound. This range not cachet-laden so possibly cheap enough with good after sales service. The UK made Audiolab 8000Q made for a great line level preamp and now they're over twenty years old, the prices will be good (black cases designate the UK made ones. the Tag replacement may besubtly tweaked inside too, but I don't know how they 'sound' in comparison and neither do I know the Chinese modern version at far less money...

Which brings me to Glenn Croft A BRAND NEW Micro 25 is only £750 and even if you bought an older 4SA or similar and had him update it (both line and phono stages will need updating to remove the characteristic valvey colour), you'd be very close to the £500 limit anyway. the current Micro 25 is superb, as neutral as valves get by and large and in the main aspects, you give away very little to the more expensive R and RS versions, to which a standard 25 can be updated later. Properly made, easy to service, not that it's ever needed and if the twin volume pots niggle you, he does a single stereo-pot version as well to special order with one of those Alps blue? thingies instead. people like marco have gone the stepped attenuator route and for silly extra money, you can buy 24 or 48 stepped attenuators which do help channel balancing of the twin controls (not sure if Glenn sanctions these, but I believe he'd fit one if necessary). The '25' is a lovely thing to use and own and it can get better from here too

[Bigman80]

The Nak preamps may have an acceptable phono stage in them, but in musical terms on the line stages, they're shallow and bland by todays standards - and I owned both a CA5 and a CA7, the latter for a while until an ARC SP14 absolutely trounced it and a Croft 4PP sounded as good as the ARC for under half the money! the CA7 was a bargain at the time as the build and internal construction was so good and it was a shame the sound was so 'ordinary.'

Old preamps can be the pits these days, as the sound was often heavily 'doctored' for a sonic effect in so many so-called Top End examples. The ARC I had lacked the warm rosy glow of earlier all-valve designs and ARC soon returned to valves in their large-format products, the clear sounding but added glowing colouration returning too I feel in the LS15 and 25 i remember. I love the Crown IC-150's I have which responded so well to a minor tweak here and there plus modern op-amps of not silly bandwidth, but the volume pots are weak and to fit a modern replacement with full functionality is a bind not carried out by the faint hearted imo. They look a bit like a cooker too - cough!!! I do have a wooden case for one of mine as well... Simple signal path with loads of switchable add-ons which aren't really necessary today, but the sound changes with each recording played through it so i don't feel it gets in the way unduly.

https://www.kenrockwell.com/audio/crown/ic-150.htm



A few ss preamps I respected deeply were the original Cyrus model with balanced outs on the back (I don't know the second issue but suspect it's good too), the AVI S2000MP (the phono stage is great in a restrained way, but ONLY after 45 minutes or so - don't ask, but every sample I ever used did this and I sold and owned many samples) - the line buffer is designed specifically for long cable runs to remote power amps and sounds best doing this - it can sound a bit 'pushy' into a 1m interconnect with nearby power-amp. I didn't much care for the hype on the original MF Nu-Vista preamp but the simpler and more conventional XP-100 preamp (same case and circuit board but with normal transistors on) sounded great to me and used samples do come up occasionally. The Quad 77 preamp has a flaky two-way remote but a sweet and airy sound. This range not cachet-laden so possibly cheap enough with good after sales service. The UK made Audiolab 8000Q made for a great line level preamp and now they're over twenty years old, the prices will be good (black cases designate the UK made ones. the Tag replacement may besubtly tweaked inside too, but I don't know how they 'sound' in comparison and neither do I know the Chinese modern version at far less money...

Which brings me to Glenn Croft A BRAND NEW Micro 25 is only £750 and even if you bought an older 4SA or similar and had him update it (both line and phono stages will need updating to remove the characteristic valvey colour), you'd be very close to the £500 limit anyway. the current Micro 25 is superb, as neutral as valves get by and large and in the main aspects, you give away very little to the more expensive R and RS versions, to which a standard 25 can be updated later. Properly made, easy to service, not that it's ever needed and if the twin volume pots niggle you, he does a single stereo-pot version as well to special order with one of those Alps blue? thingies instead. people like marco have gone the stepped attenuator route and for silly extra money, you can buy 24 or 48 stepped attenuators which do help channel balancing of the twin controls (not sure if Glenn sanctions these, but I believe he'd fit one if necessary). The '25' is a lovely thing to use and own and it can get better from here too

Great post Dave, as usual!

Yes, the Nak isn't something I'm seriously considering. They seem very expensive for what looks like a very ordinary build quality. The Nelson Pass name has seriously inflated it's worth I think.

Have considered the Croft 25 but I don't want the phonostage and don't fully understand how his lineup works out. Can you buy a 25r line only Preamp????

I also have a few reservations about adding more valves into the system too. I don't want to get too rosy and warm.

The Nelson Pass buffer thing looks like the way ill go forward but that's all dependant on what's available parts wise.