What power amp? Assuming tubes, I would look at Juicy Music Peach, on the cheaper end, or Shindo Aurieges-L, on the higher end. Solid state, i have heard great things about the Parasound JC1.
I am sure others can recommend other great choices. These are my personal favorites within your budget new or used.
RWA Isabella is great but the DAC option is a must to get the best bang for the buck. That option would put that preamp/DAC out of your price range tho. It must be heard to really appreciate the innovative approach and sound qualities. It is possible with 30-days money back guaranty.
Whats your amp for now?Room size?Music loudness/genre preference?Headbanger,Classical,Jazz or a combo of all types.Extremely,dangerously flawed according to Tvad which is my position also.Give us 25 push-ups and re-state the question.Make that 50.......cheers,Bob
Tvad,You were straight not harsh.Harsh would be using ridiculous instead of flawed.Just the usual give and take on the Gon.Keep your stick on the ice.....and your car out the ditch.Already tired of Paul Bunyon and winter,but I digress,see you on the run T,cheers,Bob
Based on my experiences the TRL tubed preamp named the Dude will make any system sound its best. It sounds like live music.
$3500 and it easily bested every single preamp I have owned or heard in my home system by a wide margin. The other preamps sounded good, but none of them came close to the live sound of the Dude. Instrumnets sounded just like they do live.
This is why I can say with confidence it will make any system sound profoundly better. The amp/speaker compatibility is most important and all efforts should be made to get this right.
Please keep in mind I have owned a bunch of top notch preamps from Thor, CJ, Audio Note, Tom Evans, Tube Distinctions, Audio Horizons, BAT, Aloia, Placette,Supratek and others. None of them came close to the live performance I experience from the Dude. Uncanny and unique. So unique in this way.
OK for the time being i have a Anthem mca 50. The reason i was asking for a pre-amp before hand was that im debating to go with a Bryston 4b sst because bang for the buck i think it gives the most power. But i was also interested in Mac mc 252. I know i know 2 totaly different amps. Unless i can find a sweet deal on a Mc 252 i will probably go with Bryston for the time being. I have looked at simaudio p5.3 which is suppose to be a nice match to the bryston. Sorry for the lack of info guys. Thanks for the replies though.
Very interesting how we all go at this hobby. I have found that the preamp is really the heart of a great system. It and the front end source have always been most important to me.
I tend to mate tube preamps with SS amps for the "sound" I like the best.
Maverick spd, the most important first questions for you are these. How do you like your current system? What would you like to improve on or change? What do you like most about the current sound? From here you can start researching amps. Your Winds may need a nice tube amp if your looking for more mid bass, body, texture and warmth. Perhaps, you are fine and just want more dynamic power and effortless sound at even the loudest volumes. This may take your search into the SS realm for amps.
Now the preamp is that special piece that ties the whole system together and can make your system sound right for you. This is why I call it the heart of the system. It must be matched with your amp for the sonic perspective you desire.
I like a combination of full, rich music with body and texture (often tubes - but also good SS) and effortless dynamics and power reserves with seemingly no constraints (often SS amps - but also good tube amps).
In the end I agree with the above posters and add the fact that you need to better understand and describe the type of musical performance you would most enjoy in your system.
Thanks for your help Tvad and Grannying. I honestly prefer the sound of the Mac over the Bryston. Its warmer and smoother. Ok Tvad here is a question for you. If i was to stay with my Mca 50 for time being and wanted to match up a 2 chanel preamp with it wat would you recomend. Here is my delema that got me started on this journy, a mth ago i bought a bryston 4b sst and thought it would give me a better punch out of my winds. But the issue was not there. My buddy brought over his 2 channel preamp and BooM! the music was so much louder played on his preamp then my AVM 30. I have now bypassed all my processing and running direct on my digital playbacks, but stil not as loud as my friends preamp. Thus the reason why i was looking for a new preamp.
Yes,at that price theres some great stuff available,especially now.Had a 4BST with a Counterpoint,great combo.Seems the Bryston amps go well with most any tube/hybrid pre.....hopefully you can try before you buy,but I feel its hard to make a mistake with a Mac or Bryston and a good pre,good luck,Bob
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