Pre Amp advice ????

[kash]

Dear All

Just signed up to this great forum, and looking forward to joining in. At the moment I'm in the final stages of putting together my first decent hifi in about 20 years!!!! My Sondek and other gear was sold to fund a permanent move from the UK to Singapore a long, long time ago.

Back living in the UK again and looking to pick up a nice used pre amp to go with the following equipment: Audiolab 8000CD transport and 8000DAC, Linn LK85 power amp and Linn Keilidh speakers (bi-wired).

I'm in the market for either" Audiolab 8000Q pre Tag, Linn Wakonda or Kairn - also open to other suggestions that might go with the equipment I have, Bryston, Densen ??????.

Regards
Kash

[WAD62]

Hi Kash,

You could try this bloke...

http://www.theaudiocellar.co.uk/

I'm pretty sure it's a guy called Kevin (in Bicester if it is), who resurrected my 8000S from the grave, fixed and upgraded my 8000DAX, supplied me with a reconditioned 8000P, and an upgraded Chinese 8000Q.

If it is he's your man, an absolute genius with Audiolab

[WAD62]

...it is him.

Highly recommended

[The Grand Wazoo]

While you're there tell him the red font on his website is crap - it makes my eyes go wappy!

[Effem]

While you're there tell him the red font on his website is crap - it makes my eyes go wappy!

That is from too much fiddlin' with yersel, not the red font :lol:

[Effem]

Dear All

Just signed up to this great forum, and looking forward to joining in. At the moment I'm in the final stages of putting together my first decent hifi in about 20 years!!!! My Sondek and other gear was sold to fund a permanent move from the UK to Singapore a long, long time ago.

Back living in the UK again and looking to pick up a nice used pre amp to go with the following equipment: Audiolab 8000CD transport and 8000DAC, Linn LK85 power amp and Linn Keilidh speakers (bi-wired).

I'm in the market for either" Audiolab 8000Q pre Tag, Linn Wakonda or Kairn - also open to other suggestions that might go with the equipment I have, Bryston, Densen ??????.

Regards
Kash

From your equipment list Kash methinks you tastes lean towards fast clean sounds, so I suggest the Densen or Tag would suit really well with the rest of your components. The Kairn does have a warmer presentation, along with the Bryston.

[WAD62]

While you're there tell him the red font on his website is crap - it makes my eyes go wappy!

...tell him yourself, he's about 6' 5"!:(

At least he doesn't waste his skills on web design...:)

[DSJR]

The kairn is well balanced but all versions are a bit vague sounding by todays standards. get another LK85 or better, an LK140 and bi amp the keilidhs on your way to going fully active. keilids don't work properly in one-amp mode, as the impedance (4 ohms on bass/mid and 10 ohms plus on tweeter) gets heard as a thuddy bass, no mid and one-note treble - I've owned them by the way, as well as selling them. Get them bi-amped either with two amps the same, or with the 140 on the tweeters (in this instance) if you get one of each, and the mid comes forward, showing that this speaker is potentially very good if you play by its rules. Go active and you can laugh at most of "our" speakers here ;)

Preamps? I still recommend the Croft Series 25 (so much more open and involving than a boring old Kairn). The AVI S2000MP preamp is also a great buy at around £300 or so and obviously the original 8000Q was good and far better than the 8000C which preceeded it. I have no idea how the current 8000Q compares, but as long as the capacitors they use aren't the cheapest nastiest Chinese ones (which the later Quad 909 was found to be fitted with), then you should find this one good too.

One final but fiddly favourite pre is the Quad 77, which is musical, sweet toned and with a great phono stage. Only the remote lets it down if it's not working right.

[WAD62]

I have no idea how the current 8000Q compares, but as long as the capacitors they use aren't the cheapest nastiest Chinese ones (which the later Quad 909 was found to be fitted with), then you should find this one good too.


That's the 'upgrade' that I had done to my 'Chinese' one, and according to my man that's the only difference...who am I to argue.

One slight quibble is that the black finish is not quite as black as the original English ones...reminds me of an old 'Blackadder' sketch.

edit - Not Blackadder, but 'Ripping Yarns' 'The ballad of Eric Olthwate'..."our mam's black puddings were so black, even the white bits were black!"