Anyone using 2 preamps in their rig?

No. I strive for the best sound possible. That requires every penny for each component goes into the very best component I can possibly acquire. So, even owning two is wasting money… to me.

Why oh Why would there be a desire for 2

@ghdprentice Makes sense! My quandary is as I look up the performance ladder the prices get scary.

@stringreen The Allnic has great reviews and I’d be interested to see what tubes would bring to my rig. 

I did that with my Benchmark LA4 preamp and CODA 07x preamp. One was neutral and clean and the other was a bit warmer. I had a real complicated setup there. There were 2 DACs going into each preamp with RCA and XLR, 2 tuners, one by both RCA and XLR, SACD player. I also had a second amp on the CODA 07x via XLR to the amp for my RAAL SR1a headphones. The CODA also had an XLR going to my speaker amp(s).

When I wanted a more neutral sound I would change the speaker amp XLR to the LA4 preamp. When I wanted a warmer tone I switched the amp XLR to the CODA 07x. After a while I realized I liked the LA4 better and sold the 07x.

However, it was a fun exercise.

Nah. Get a preamp that offers the best of both. A preamp is the heart of the system, it can make or break it. Get the very best you can afford.

Always spend more on the preamp , everything downstream will benefit and quality sources will not be shortchanged by the most common bottleneck in HiFi.... mediocre preamps.   I just sold a Zesto Leto.    That was the best sounding preamp I have ever owned , used , or had any experience with.   

I am having a Toolshed 101d DHT Line Stafe built and if it is half as good as the 300b amp they built I will be in a good place.     I am using an old Sonic Frontiers preamp for now  and it's a few steps backwards but it does the job.   Whole Soundstage caved in and bass is kind of flabby compared to the Zesto.   Everyone in the DAC with volume camp that has done away with their preamp has probably never had an outstanding preamp , because if they did they couldn't live without it.

Yes, an EAR-Yoshino 868L and an Audio Research LS1, the latter for it's mode and balance controls. 

You know…I was wondering about this very idea. But with a good solid state and an equivalent in quality tube preamp. I’ve been jonesing to get an SPL Elector, but also see some very nice tube pre’s I’d also like to own. Would be a fairly simple process, as long as you’ve got an an amp (or amps) with more than one input. Personally, going to start with the Elector.

@yyzsantabarbara I like your approach. I find myself wondering, “What if . . . “ a lot of the time, and I’m convinced that the preamp is the heart of a system, and I have a really good one, too; but it is solid state, what if . . . I used a tube preamp instead for example. There are many who feel the preamp should not color the sound, that it should help the user match levels from disparate sources to the amp & speakers. I suppose that is the best way. I do know that I expect my preamp to make my life easier, not more difficult. 

I will venture that multiple speakers suggests multiple systems suggests multiple preamps. Now maybe you want different prints for different recording methodologies I’ll say that I supposed to different music because like rock tends to be nasty and bright so having a different preamp for that might make some sense but overall yeah if you have two systems you need to print ups but one is however tiny ly better than the other

@oldrooney I think there are not many preamps that DO NOT color the sound to a large degree. It seems to my ears that the more expensive the preamp the more the color. Obviously, people like this and the gear could be sold for more money. That is not how I hear it so my wallet is happy.

These are the only preamps I owned that did not color the sound too much.

Benchmark HPA4, LA4, and Topping pre90. The Topping pre90 is a PIA to use and pair with amps. The Benchmark preamps are my fav's.

I use 3 stereo amplifiers, 6 floor standers and 3 subs. One preamp controls  2 Mac MC252 amps and the second controls an Anthem STR and 3 SVS subs.. Being able to control the subs separately really works great in my situation.

An Amp should have 2 sets of inputs.  This would make you happy and also provide an HT bypass for those who need it.

@yyzsantabarbara I would have loved to see the full rig!  Did you use type of splitter-box?

(Per chance, a Rush fan?)

Doug

@blackbag20 I did not use any splitter-box because the 2 DACs I used, the Musetec 005 and the Benchmark DAC3B both allowed RCA and XLR output at the same time. So one RCA went to 1 preamp and the XLR output went to the other preamp. I did the same with my Magnum Dynalab 108T tuner. I also had identical streamer paths using 2 sets of FMC and Sonore OpticalRendu,

I am a fan of the low cost Benchmark XLR interconnect between my 2 preamps and the amp at the speaker end. So I used 2 sets of 15-foot XLRs with 1 set connect at the amp end. When I wanted to switch preamps I just changed the amp end interconnect to the other preamp’s.

The CODA 07x preamp I used as 1 of the 2 preamps did not have an ON/OFF button so that was a little bit tricky. You need to be careful when the gear was turned on and off so as not to mess up the speakers. I never did.

I should add that not all gear allow RCA and XLR to be connected at the same time, such as the Audio Mirror Tubadour SE III DAC (now sold).

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I am from Toronto (YYZ, similar to LAX = Los Angeles) . I now live in Santa Barbara. I am huge Rush fan. I actually listen to more Rush these days since I have nice gear and the music is instantly available. The song YYZ is supposed to represent taking a flight out of Toronto’s YYZ airport.

Interesting thought process.  But to me that means each preamp pleases you in different ways.  Time to find on preamp that does it all.

Happy Listening.

@bigkidz If you have heard the CODA 07x preamp and the Benchmark LA4 preamps (the 2 I used) you most likely would think they are on the opposite ends of the sonic spectrum. I loved both preamps with various amps. I doubt there is 1 unit preamp out there that can sound like both. Maybe with a TONE control to sound like the warmer CODA 07x.

@yyzsantabarbara

I can send you one of the ones we make if you are interested google vujadeaudio and contact me that way

OP, “”My quandary is as I look up the performance ladder the prices get scary.”

Yep, I completely get it. The performance gets more and more satisfying. It’s a question of what you value.

Fairly early in life I realized I really gained great satisfaction from music, literature, photography and astronomy. Also, backpacking, bicycling, SCUBA and mountaineering. So I dropped skiing, parachuting, sailing and some other pursuits. You can’t do them all.

So, I have ridden my bicycles well over 100,000 miles, dove all over the Caribbean and the South Pacific, hiked and mountaineered all over the world and have a world class audio system.

By concentrating on a few things, I have got tremendous rewards from pursuing them. Looking back… very rewarding.

I use 2 pre in one of my systems. Have a McIntosh C52 and utilize a fixed output from the C52 into a C20. It provides the best of both worlds- modern solid state and vintage tube. And both can operate driving different pairs of speakers individually or together. The DAC in the C52 can be used and tone controls on C20 used simultaneously. 

@bigkidz I checked out your wares on your web site and A’gon forum posts. If I were in an audiophile mindset I would be all over your offer. However, I have decided on what audio gear will work long term for me and I am now done buying gear. I am very happy with my selections and have duplicated those selections in my office and Livingroom systems. Time for me to just listen.

My 2 preamp setup phase was when I was trying to figure out what I liked. Today, I have simplified almost everything and happily use 1 preamp.