Tisbury Audio Mini Passive Pre-amp

[wee tee cee]

Just ordered the pre from Tisbury....I asked for one input and two variable outputs and one line output so that I can utilise my headphone amp. Look forward to hearing a passive pre and what it does to my two set ups.

[wee tee cee]

Just received the pre amp this morning, surprised at just how small it is. It is beautifully built with a lovely positive action to the input selector and the volume knob.

Initially I tried it with my temple audio mono blocks and Spendor sp1s, I connected the amp to the higher output phonos on the back of the temples and run it on the blue power output( for temple users) volume at twelve o clock on the pre was just about right, my initial impression was surprise at just how much my active pre had been influencing the sound, its far more transparent and natural sounding having really opened up the soudstage and separating out backing vocals from the main artist, bass is far less coloured and more honest not at all lacking as I had feared.

Next up a brief check that the head phone amp was getting fed from the fixed output....as far as I can tell the pre is invisible in the chain not adding or subtracting anything.

As I am typing I am listening to my valve mono blocks and quad 63s, my active pre was outputting too much for this set up only letting me get to about 10 o clock on the volume before things started distorting, I wasn't sure if it was the statics or valves clipping. My main concern for this set up was that the tubes would not have enough grunt to drive the statics without a active to help them along----it was unfounded.
at just over 12 o clock on the volume the level is just about perfect. It is producing a very unforced sound now, the best I have heard from this combo so far.

I am delighted with the sound my set up is making, the unique spec I ordered cost me an additional £10, Wes at Tisbury audio kept me fully updated with the progress and shipping. One very happy customer.

Having trusted hi fi pig reviews in the past with recommendations I can honestly endorse this wee pre amp( in my set up with my ears in my room).

Should be another Scottish get together in the near future will let the troops cast judgement for themselves.

[jandl100]

Yay. I'm glad you like it, too, Tony.
(Big sigh of relief emanates from Jerry Towers!)

T'is a lovely bit of kit and, as you say, very transparent indeed.

[wee tee cee]

Delighted Jerry, I was worried it would be system dependent and maybe needed beefy amps behind it to work, but both my set ups are really singing. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Tarzan]

Yay. I'm glad you like it, too, Tony.
(Big sigh of relief emanates from Jerry Towers!)

T'is a lovely bit of kit and, as you say, very transparent indeed.

A full and musical sound Jerry?- We like transparent.

[jandl100]

A full and musical sound Jerry?- We like transparent.

Well, as Tony wee tee cee said ...

....as far as I can tell the pre is invisible in the chain not adding or subtracting anything.

I tend to agree with that. Often claimed - seldom achieved, ime. It really is a bit startling.
Of course, your system's current enjoyable sound might depend on the colourations coming from your pre.

But if you want genuinely transparent and high rez sound, I rate this little pre very highly.
... you do need a high input impedance in your power amp if treble rolloff is to be avoided, though, as with all resistive passives.

[User211]

Just received the pre amp this morning, surprised at just how small it is. It is beautifully built with a lovely positive action to the input selector and the volume knob.

Initially I tried it with my temple audio mono blocks and Spendor sp1s, I connected the amp to the higher output phonos on the back of the temples and run it on the blue power output( for temple users) volume at twelve o clock on the pre was just about right, my initial impression was surprise at just how much my active pre had been influencing the sound, its far more transparent and natural sounding having really opened up the soudstage and separating out backing vocals from the main artist, bass is far less coloured and more honest not at all lacking as I had feared.

Next up a brief check that the head phone amp was getting fed from the fixed output....as far as I can tell the pre is invisible in the chain not adding or subtracting anything.

As I am typing I am listening to my valve mono blocks and quad 63s, my active pre was outputting too much for this set up only letting me get to about 10 o clock on the volume before things started distorting, I wasn't sure if it was the statics or valves clipping. My main concern for this set up was that the tubes would not have enough grunt to drive the statics without a active to help them along----it was unfounded.
at just over 12 o clock on the volume the level is just about perfect. It is producing a very unforced sound now, the best I have heard from this combo so far.

I am delighted with the sound my set up is making, the unique spec I ordered cost me an additional £10, Wes at Tisbury audio kept me fully updated with the progress and shipping. One very happy customer.

Having trusted hi fi pig reviews in the past with recommendations I can honestly endorse this wee pre amp( in my set up with my ears in my room).

Should be another Scottish get together in the near future will let the troops cast judgement for themselves.

Nice post. A really good description of the virtues of passives. Once you get to grips with one (providing they work realistically with your kit) it is very hard to listen to an active SS or valve preamp without thinking it "is doing something". Of course if you like what the active is doing then that is fine, but the Tisbury is a great way of exploring passives for very little money.

My Air Tight passive is my reference preamp and seems to let the power amps just do their thang in a way no active I've tried seems to. That said, I'm really enjoying an active valve pre at the mo too... but I know full well it is a "colouration device".

[Reffc]

Nice post. A really good description of the virtues of passives. Once you get to grips with one (providing they work realistically with your kit) it is very hard to listen to an active SS or valve preamp without thinking it "is doing something". Of course if you like what the active is doing then that is fine, but the Tisbury is a great way of exploring passives for very little money.

My Air Tight passive is my reference preamp and seems to let the power amps just do their thang in a way no active I've tried seems to. That said, I'm really enjoying an active valve pre at the mo too... but I know full well it is a "colouration device".

two good posts! Good post from Wee tee cee and a good response from Justin.

It stands to reason that if your system can drive a passive (depends on source output impedance and power amp input impedance) and the source voltages are high enough (which in digital these days they almost certainly will be) then there's little to touch a passive as its the "straight bit of wire" between components. Actives provide a buffer between source and power amps as they have to ensure high input impedance yet low output impedance. When gain is thrown into the picture, its not hard to start seeing that colourations and signal losses occur. A good pre is the heart of any system I think, along with the speakers. The beauty about passives such as the Tisbury are that into a well matched system, they're capable of fidelity that many actives can't hope for.

[realysm42]

And yet actives are still such a popular choice.

I'm going to explore this route myself, once funds are permitting.

[jandl100]

Well, actives are a safer bet when it comes to system matching - both input/output impedance issues and overall system gain.
But if the synergy is there the overall performance of a passive can be a bit of an eye opener.

It's worth bearing in mind that all passive preamps are not born equal in terms of sound quality. A lot depends on the quality of the volume control. It seems to me that the Tisbury is a good'un for not much £moolah.

I'll be a-visiting with Justin User211 this weekend, and I may just take the Tisbury along to see how it compares with his Air Tight passive.