Joule Electra LA-150 MK3 vs MK2?

Just a update to confirm that Jud is sending out a Memorial Edition preamp for us (Merlin) to use at CES in the Joule/Merlin/Cardas room. Though I am bummed that Jud himself will not be coming to the show, I am looking forward to hearing the preamp, from what Jud has told me there is some interesting stuff inside!

Well Clio, it will just be the usual recent crew at CES this year for Merlin (Bobby and me - Rich Brkich)... Billy hasn't been to a show for a number of years (family obligations and since I'm available he can stay home and be at the plant to get some work done while Bobby is gone! :-)

Anyway, we will have both preamps there (Juds new one and the LAP-150MK2 we have been using at shows for the past few years). Any loan would have to have Jud's explicit permission as well as Bobby's (since he is basically in charge of the show suite and I'm just the help :-) ). We will have to play it by ear. Just gotta hope that all the gear gets there and the GES gorilla's don't trash it (we had some gear busted last years when it was returned from the show).

Bobby and I look forward to seeing you at the show!

Update: The preamp (LA-300 Marianne Barber Memorial Line Stage Preamp - Its not called the LA-150MK3) is up and playing in our (merlin/Joule/Cardas) show suite.... sounding very very good so far just only after a half hour of play.

Yes, we are using the Clear speaker cables and some of the Clear interconnects in the show system (we didn't have enough Clear interconnects to wire the whole system). It is as it names implies, very clear and pure sounding cable. Pretty amazing micro and macro dynamics. The Cardas Clear speaker cable is just downright goofy good. In comparison to the Golden Ref, its more dynamic, quieter, and more extended at the frequency extremes. With all this clarity, you would think the cable may be all "HiFi" and no music, but it's tone, pitch, decay, body are all there and very pure. With only one Clear (at this time) interconect in the system (Cardas may get us more from them tomorrow), it is a bit harder to get the same beam on the interconnects, but I am hearing very similar things to what the speaker cable did when we swapped in the one interconnect.

BTW, yes $14.8K is ALLOT of green for the new Joule LA-300 preamp, but there are allot of very expensive parts in it.

As to value per dollar, that comparison is best left to other who can compare it with other $10K+ preamps. The best I cn do right now is discuss it in comparison to the LA-150MK11. I have to keep this short given I need to get the room going here today.

- Much better bass... the bass has outstanding resolution, weight, definition.
- Dynamics.. Again better. The LA-300 does appear more quiet to me so macro and micro dynamics are very well represented
- Top end sounds more extended... a very natural, liquid and open extension.
- Tone - The quieter nature of this preamp means that midrange tonality is better developed in its bloom and decay. Most importantly the tone sounds right.. with the correct amount of body and texture with outstanding resolution (would not be a Joule - Electra preamp otherwise IMHO)
- Soundstage/imaging... always a strength of Joule preamps IMO and this preamp does it in a excellent manner. The blacker background does result in better ability to define the images in the stage.

Gotta run. Have a good day everyone

Dob... sorry for not getting back here sooner. I have been very busy trying to catch up with customer business since returning from the show, not to mention fighting a bad cold (more like bronchitis my Doc says).

To keep things short and sweet... my impressions of the LA-300ME remain the same. Superb sound-staging, dynamics, clarity, and musicality (i.e Resolution without brightness or texture). It gets the tone aspects of performance so right and then proceeds to offer the rest of these (audiophile) performance characteristics in a way that I think it is going to re-define what really good preamp can do.