I'll try to answer everyone in one post. I used a broken in pair of Tara Labs Air1 balanced interconnects from the preamp to the Levinson which, I assume, are similar to the Air2 interconnects in sonic qualities. The BAT was also well broken in prior to the dealer lending it to me.
I only had the BAT in my system last night. I would go from direct in from the player to the amp, and would then put the preamp in the middle. I could keep it for a few days, but I seriously doubt that the dealer would allow a 30 day trial! Even if I could keep it for more than about a week, it didn't take long to notice that there wasn't much difference between having the preamp in the signal path and not having it there. Both my son and I thought that the bass response was a bit tighter, and that there was something present in the way of more cohesion.....but both of these were certainly mild, if they weren't the result of a "placebo effect". We both also thought that there was a bit of harshness that wasn't present without the preamp.
As I see it, the preamp provided a volume boost that I doubt I needed. I have never had to have the Accuphase at full volume. I truly didn't know what to expect. Logic says that I should have expected more volume and a slight degradation of sound that one might expect from adding one more set of int3erconnects and another piece of gear in the signal path. That IS what I seem to have gotten! Somehow, I had a hope that a preamp might do something "magical". It sounds silly as I look at what I just wrote, but I am just being honest about my expectations. As best I see it, perhaps I would be better off getting a better pair of interconnects and speaker cables than to buy a preamp. If I'm missing something in my thinking, I'm glad to know about it!
I only had the BAT in my system last night. I would go from direct in from the player to the amp, and would then put the preamp in the middle. I could keep it for a few days, but I seriously doubt that the dealer would allow a 30 day trial! Even if I could keep it for more than about a week, it didn't take long to notice that there wasn't much difference between having the preamp in the signal path and not having it there. Both my son and I thought that the bass response was a bit tighter, and that there was something present in the way of more cohesion.....but both of these were certainly mild, if they weren't the result of a "placebo effect". We both also thought that there was a bit of harshness that wasn't present without the preamp.
As I see it, the preamp provided a volume boost that I doubt I needed. I have never had to have the Accuphase at full volume. I truly didn't know what to expect. Logic says that I should have expected more volume and a slight degradation of sound that one might expect from adding one more set of int3erconnects and another piece of gear in the signal path. That IS what I seem to have gotten! Somehow, I had a hope that a preamp might do something "magical". It sounds silly as I look at what I just wrote, but I am just being honest about my expectations. As best I see it, perhaps I would be better off getting a better pair of interconnects and speaker cables than to buy a preamp. If I'm missing something in my thinking, I'm glad to know about it!