do i buy a linestage for my Air Tight ate-2 or


do i buy a linestage for my Air tight ate-2 (phono stage)or do i sell it & buy a full function pre-amp??
diamonddude184142
It depends on what level of system you are trying for. The Air Tight is capable of a very high level of performance. If you match it up with a high-end moving coil cartridge (usually with low output) you will want to stay with the low noise of a separate line stage.

I say keep it and build your system around it...preferably with other Air Tight separates.
Sell the airtight and get a Jadis dude. Or sell the Audionote and get a real cartridge.
smokester , im using a Kondo IO-j silver into the kondo step-up (sf-6z). i tried my friends Emotive (sira) with the Air-Tight and it sounded great, im just wondering if i get a full function pre-amp like a shindo or a jadis (that will have to be modified) will i get much better sound?

and no darren im not selling my kondo
diamonddude18,
Unfortunately, I have not had the pleasure of hearing either the shindo or jadis. From experience I hate painting myself into a corner by buying integrated and then having to change out the whole shebang when I am dissatisfied.

Also, If you are going for a very fine, full range system (and I infer that you are from the components you mention) it is difficult to get a quiet hi-performance tube phonoamp in a small box with a high density of components.

One of the nicest systems I have heard is all Air Tight, with ATM-211 SET monoblocks driving a pair of Sonus Farber Stradivarius (or is is Stradivarii?).
Buy an Air Tight ATC-2 Line Stage and you will have a matched set (preamplifiers made for one another). I own an Air Tight ATM-2 Tube Powered Amplifier (85 Watts Per Channel), an ATC-2 Line Stage Preamplifier, and an ATE-2 Phono Stage Preamplifier, augmented with an ATH-1 Step-Up Transformer, both for my Basis 2001 Turntable with a Bob Graham 2.2 tone arm and a Koetsu Urishi Vermillion Cartridge. I also own a pair of Sonus Faber Electa Amator II, two way speakers, supplemented with an REL Studio II Subwoofer (194 pounds and dials into both left and right channels seamlessly).

Since the "old" (better in my opinion) REL subwoofers are hard to find, you might want to look at three way (full size) speakers, like a used pair of Sonus Faber Cremonas (NOT the Cremona-M (M for Monitor, or two way speakers) and then supplement them with two REL Stentor Subwoofers. Or you can go with the two way speaker option and buy the largest REL Subwoofer you can find.

Air Tight Preamplifiers (ATC-2, ATE-2) and my ATM-2 Power Amplifier combine to produce a warm yet amazingly accurate sound. You have one of the world's best phono stages or preamplifiers already, and I'm assuming it's MM or Moving Magnet, which means, if you have a high end needle and cartridge, you'd need to get either an Air Tight ATH-1 or ATH-2 Step-Up Transformer in the event you do not already own one (I prefer the ATH-1, even though it's an older model).

If you build your system around other Air Tight components, you can be assured of owning a truly world class stereo system, and with the economy the way it is, right now is the perfect time for acquiring quality used Air Tight equipment as well as Sonus Faber Speakers (it's a buyer's market). Now, most Sonus Faber speaker models work really well with Air Tight equipment, and whether you decide to go with two way or three way speakers will depend to a great deal on your taste in sound (enriched, warn detail or raw, loud sound).

Obviously, the more power you can get, the better, yet I've found that my ATM-2 is perfectly capable of running a pair of Sonus Faber Amatis (their top of the line 3-way speakers) as well as all of their two way, or monitor speakers, but with two way speakers, you're really going to need subwoofer support.

And if you can find a REL Studio II or Studio III, you can take advantage of what the two way Sonus Faber speaker design offers (and in my opinion, the best of these are the Electa Amator IIs): much more detail, beautiful mid-range (augmented, believe it or not, by the REL Studio II or III). And two way speakers don't experience frequency response conflict or cancellation from very high to very low signals within the same cabinets. I have two audiophile friends who own a pair of the Sonus Faber, top of the line, three-way Homage Amati Speakers ($22,000 a pair) along with expensive CAT mono blocks and preamplifiers, and they both like my line stage, phono stage, power amp, speaker and subwoofer combination system (which used, cost me less than fifteen grand) better than their own, $75,000 counterparts.

Anyway, and especially if you're just starting out, this is a direction to which I would give serious consideration. Happy hunting!