Your preamp experience

[Covenant]

I have tried three preamps, a lightspeed and two tube jobbies. I was a bit underwhelmed to be honest. The lightspeed was the best but I ended going back to using my dac as a preamp.
I want to try the new Bushmaster which does not have a preamp function so I want to hear opinions on your experiences and what you would recommend for a tight old skinflint like me.:)

[Arkless Electronics]

If you don't need any extra gain then no pre amp is the best pre amp.... no pre amp has zero distortion, infinite signal to noise ratio and bandwidth, takes up no shelf space and has no carbon foot print :D

[Ali Tait]

Yes, but if there are impedance mismatches or insufficient sensitivity, a pre can be better than no pre at times.

[Arkless Electronics]

Yes, but if there are impedance mismatches or insufficient sensitivity, a pre can be better than no pre at times.

Impedance mismatches are rarer than people think ;) And I did say "If you don't need any extra gain" ......

[rectorydp]

I've been very pleased with the Tisbury used with the Bushmaster2 and Squeezebox Touch. However, it is going to come down to synergy with your Croft and your preferred sound. I feel that a passive can lift a veil from the sound but others find it less exciting. I was running with simple attenuators previously and I just wanted a bit more control over the volume. Wes at Tisbury Audio is very helpful, there is a 30 day trial and it is reasonably priced so it may be worth a try.

[Covenant]

I've been very pleased with the Tisbury used with the Bushmaster2 and Squeezebox Touch. However, it is going to come down to synergy with your Croft and your preferred sound. I feel that a passive can lift a veil from the sound but others find it less exciting. I was running with simple attenuators previously and I just wanted a bit more control over the volume. Wes at Tisbury Audio is very helpful, there is a 30 day trial and it is reasonably priced so it may be worth a try.
Do you know if they do the Tisbury with a black case David?

[rectorydp]

Do you know if they do the Tisbury with a black case David?

I don't know. I suspect not but it would be worth asking. I did find them helpful and responsive. It is rather small and I have it hidden away as I don't change the volume much. Having said that, it is quite attractive with the Black Walnut fascia. :)

[The Barbarian]

Get a Pre -Amp with tone controls, always a winner

:sofa:

[Covenant]

I was hoping for more comments along the line of 'I use XYZ preamp and its brilliant!'

[MartinT]

I use a Pass Labs XP-20 preamp and it's brilliant.

:)

[Gordon Steadman]

I use a Creek passive pre and it quite good.

[MCRU]

Martin JOhnson heard the Music First pre and was happy, he ordered one straight away

Nick had it in his room at Whittlebury and it sounded great, at least one of my customers ordered one after the show

I have one on order arriving today

Jonathan at music first does get traded in 2nd hand ones ask him he may do you a deal

[MikeMusic]

I use a Pass Labs XP-20 preamp and it's brilliant.

:)
+1

And I'm a skinflint but was persuaded by the sound quality
:)

[awkwardbydesign]

I have a Promitheus TVC (with 6dB gain) and it's brilliant. Silent too.

[Arkless Electronics]

I use a home made passive and it's brilliant!

[Firebottle]

What pot or switched attenuator have you used Jez?

:cool: Alan

[walpurgis]

I use a Ming Da MC-9 TVC (transformer) pre-amp and it's the best I've used so far and I've had some decent pre-amps in the past, it outdoes them all!

If anybody is interested, I've got a fine sounding dual mono, dual stepped resistor attenuator (the best type) passive pre-amp going spare at the moment. Nearly new too, but I don't need it now I've got the Ming Da.

[IHP]

I was hoping for more comments along the line of 'I use XYZ preamp and its brilliant!'

I can offer opinions on 4 ! I've owned the Croft 25, 25R and 25Rs, all superb units. At one point I needed to raise a few quid and 'downgraded' from the RS back down to the R and really didn't lose any sleep over this, a wonderful box by any measure. Timbre, transparency, soundstage, imaging etc. I was happy with this for a long time when a used Easten Electric Minimax pre came along. I was always curious about this little unit and bought it on the basis I could try it and move it along at very little loss if I wanted, hanging on to the Croft to give the option of keeping it.

I kept the EE and let the Croft go in the end. It just suited my taste more, call it warm, rich (yup, coloured), and beautifully open.

To end I'd never say it was better than the Crofts, at a certain level of outlay we're just talking different presentation and even then not significantly. I'd conclude by just saying all of these are worth trying. My approach has always been to buy mint used gear so I can try it in my system/room for a good while before decising what to do and then losing little when shifting gear on.

I've not lost interest in box swapping but do it far less these days. Currently running the EE with my trusty Leak 20 (comfort zome power amp. that I love) and Proac 115s.

Have fun !

Edit - And you can bugger about tube rolling to your heart's content !

[Arkless Electronics]

What pot or switched attenuator have you used Jez?

:cool: Alan

I have a rare 4 gang Alps Blue Velvet pot to give two combined passive pots via two sets of inputs and outputs.... One 10K and the other 50K. usually use the 10K option but the 50K is useful for valve gear etc.... At this moment using my valve phono stage with Leak Stereo 20 so using the 50K route ;)

[Covenant]

That's a bit more like it!
Anyone used a dac as a pre like me (ooh I am a poet), switched to a separate pre and noticed a huge improvement?

[337alant]

When I used a passive pre I used the 10k Sfernice P11 mono pots one for each channel and you could use that as a crude balance control as well
I had an Elma switch in the box as well to give multiple inputs
It was very transparent and I used it for a few years and is still in use in my workshop.
I replaced it with an audio Research LS3 which was also very good but not quite as transparent.
I replaced the LS3 with a DIY B4 which is what I use now and its brilliant :D

Alan

[Macca]

I'm using an NVA P90 and it is pretty damn good. 'Let's flavour flood out' as they used to say in that tea commercial. I like the styling too.

[Covenant]

When I used a passive pre I used the 10k Sfernice P11 mono pots one for each channel and you could use that as a crude balance control as well
I had an Elma switch in the box as well to give multiple inputs
It was very transparent and I used it for a few years and is still in use in my workshop.
I replaced it with an audio Research LS3 which was also very good but not quite as transparent.
I replaced the LS3 with a DIY B4 which is what I use now and its brilliant :D

Alan

Can you tell me a bit more about the B4 Alan?

[jandl100]

I was hoping for more comments along the line of 'I use XYZ preamp and its brilliant!'

I use a Restek Consens active remote controlled pre-amp and it's brilliant. The best pre (active or passive or none at all) that I've heard.

But the little Tisbury passive pre is excellent too - and way cheaper!

[istari_knight]

Can you tell me a bit more about the B4 Alan?

It all began here http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/showthread.php?t=66430


Its a buffer with a potentiometer on the input. Supposed to be the best of both worlds, with the transparency of a passive pre-amp and the drive of a good active pre-amp... I also have one, its good but I cant decide if its an improvement over my passive [30k Noble pot in a box.]

[337alant]

Can you tell me a bit more about the B4 Alan?

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh290/337alant/B4.jpg (http://s259.photobucket.com/user/337alant/media/B4.jpg.html)

Jerry as Istary Knight has said its a Buffer stage with a vol control and switch there were a few group buys for circuit boards and its a pretty simple build

Alan

[PaulStewart]

Without going into the numerous pre amps I've used over the years, I have two in regular use at the moment. The Art Audio VPS can be used in passive or active modes, but the passive side is still buffered. I think the phono input on this is stunning and now with the Grant valve head amp is giving me the best vinyl sound I've heard for a long time. The other inputs work just as well and I like it's flexibility. In most cases I run it passive, only going to active if I need more gain for a paticular source.

The other pre is a passive with a high quality silver point switch, a 50k stepped attenuator using Dale-Vishay resistors and Belden silver/PTFE wiring. It also has a non magnetic aluminium case and Neutrik sockets that use PTFE insulation. I had it made up to my specs by Eric Lam in Hong Kong. I really like the total transparency of this unit and it's fantastic for valve power amps. The 50k did not sit well with some transistor amps though, so I added a buffer stage, as a starting point I got a MF X10-D and that did quite a good job. However the standard unit can sound a bit coarse so, I sourced a clone circuit board from China and replaced the valves, caps and resistors for higher quality items. This works really well into Yamaha, Quad (405-2), Technics and Amcron SS amps. First Watt make an FET buffered passive which sounds superb.

Best of luck :)

[hifinutt]

had about 14 pre amps in past 2 years ranging from very expensive to cheaper . one of the best was the puresound L10 whch s/h is about 1250 and a really lovely textured and real sense of presence pre
my current pre is the tom evans vibe /pulse [my third one!!] extremely good soundstage and very organic
brilliant purchase and quite common s/h

[vouk]

Been using Audio Analogue's latest Bellini virtual battery pre amp for some time now and with fantastic results. Beautifully built, super quiet (virtual battery circuit certainly helps), fully balanced topology with tons of inputs and outputs and with a really good phono stage to boot. Sounds every bit as good as my favourite pre amp of all times, the Graaf 13.5 and at a much lesser cost. Thrown many different power amps at it, from Pathos to...Densen!) and that thing has always shone through. I liked it so much that I've now built an all Audio Analogue system around it - even if I upgrade the power amps at some later point, the pre-amp is certainly staying put. :cool:

[dowser]

A brilliant Croft Micro II in use here - I sent it to Glenn when I first bought it a few years back to get the output stage brought up to latest spec, then replaced the smoothing caps myself (using larger values) and finally replaced the output caps with some "better" items. It does all I need with no weaknesses I can detect - may put a decent attenuator into it one day, may rewire it with better wire...but at the end of the day I am happy as-is. Also has a great MM phono stage (that I feed via a head amp from my LOMCs).

Total cost - less than £180 with shipping to Glenn and then onto me (in Ireland at time), plus Glenn's work.

Richard

[trio leo]

Never had to use a dac as a pre due to having a mainly vinyl system, I have however owned and tried some very good pre-amps, my last one was a Spectral DMC 12 and very good it was too IMHO.

The Albarry AP11 is doing the job superbly with a very fine mm phono stage built in, it just has a beautiful articulation and an involvement that I enjoy.
The Nagra Jazz is probably the best pre I've heard so far, but I don't think it has a phono stage and it is £9000, wonderful pre if you can afford it.

just my 2 penneth

enjoy your music

regards Al

[User211]

I use a Restek Consens active remote controlled pre-amp and it's brilliant. The best pre (active or passive or none at all) that I've heard.

But the little Tisbury passive pre is excellent too - and way cheaper!

Yup I had that Restek for a while and I liked it a lot.

But I prefer the Cayin C100 (modified SC10) valve pre I have, or the excellent Air Tight ATL10a passive. I never thought I'd move away from the Air Tight but god do I like the Cayin and I'm defo using it more than the 'Tight. I seriously rate it.

[mr sneff]

I have tried three preamps, a lightspeed and two tube jobbies. I was a bit underwhelmed to be honest. The lightspeed was the best but I ended going back to using my dac as a preamp.
I want to try the new Bushmaster which does not have a preamp function so I want to hear opinions on your experiences and what you would recommend for a tight old skinflint like me.:)

I've only used 2 preamps, a Linn Kairn into 2 LK100s and, more recently a Quad 34 into a 303. Last week I bought a Matrix Mini DAC off of eBay like this one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Matrix-mini-i-24bit-Balanced-DAC-Headphone-Amp-Remote-Control-lastest-version-/140710938101?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item20c30685f5,except I bought a secondhand one. You can use it either with a fixed output into a preamp or configure it with a variable output obviating the need for a preamp. I much prefer using the variable output straight into the 303, even though the fixed output, which also switches off the headphone output, is claimed sound better. I can run my laptop into it via the USB input and use my Pioneer PD S705 as a transport via the SPDIF input. The sound just has more life and vibrancy than through the 34.

[jandl100]

I've only used 2 preamps, a Linn Kairn into 2 LK100s and, more recently a Quad 34 into a 303. Last week I bought a Matrix Mini DAC off of eBay like this one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Matrix-mini-i-24bit-Balanced-DAC-Headphone-Amp-Remote-Control-lastest-version-/140710938101?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item20c30685f5,except I bought a secondhand one. You can use it either with a fixed output into a preamp or configure it with a variable output obviating the need for a preamp. I much prefer using the variable output straight into the 303, even though the fixed output, which also switches off the headphone output, is claimed sound better. I can run my laptop into it via the USB input and use my Pioneer PD S705 as a transport via the SPDIF input. The sound just has more life and vibrancy than through the 34.

Well, not too surprising. Quad make some excellent kit, but ime their pre-amps have always let the side down, sounding quite bland, opaque and smoothed over.
The Linn Kairn is none too exciting a listen, either.

Try a Tisbury passive pre if you want a fairly inexpensive way to hear what the rest of your system is really capable of! ;)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171062829201?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

[mr sneff]

Try a Tisbury passive pre if you want a fairly inexpensive way to hear what the rest of your system is really capable of! ;) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171062829201?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Yes, I've heard good reports about the Tisbury, but, as I just use the laptop and the CD player I don't really need a preamp, passive or otherwise. :)