Clayton M200s and Single ended preamps


Those considering the balanced Clayton M200 or M300 should not shy away if you have a single-ended (RCA) Preamp. I use Jensen's Isomax DM2-2RX transformer and the result is wonderful. I do not have a superb balanced pre against which to compare, but darned if I can hear any problems. The Isomax appears to be effectively transparent. The specs suggest why.

Clayton will supply the DM2-2RX, but Jensen suggests the PI series which will accept a wider range of input impedances. I've ordered the PI-2RX and will report back.

I drooled over the M200 for some time, having owned the superb S-40, but was locked due to my Tube Pre's unbalanced output.

I can elaborate further if there is interest.
Dave

Music Server
Musical Design Maxed out DAC-1A
Musical Concepts 6H30P Pre (beta-testing)
Claytons and Isomax
Intuitive Design Pingoras
interlochen

Showing 1 response by interlochen

Experiments show that in my system the DM2-2RX as supplied by Clayton is vastly superior to the PI-2RX.

Clayton mods the DM2 with superior RCAs, but that doesn't explain the difference.

Those fluent in transformer theory should be able to study the Jensen pdf spec sheets and figure it out.