Bryston preamps come with a 20 year warranty, so that is another brand to consider.
Reliability of brand
For a budget of $3000, which preamp is most reliable? I am leaning towards Mcintosh for the reason there is a recommended service center near where I live. This is a recommended service center listed on the Mcintosh website. I am a new member here, returning after inactive for several years. Recently, because of the crisis and the oil price plummeting, I have some free time on my hand because I was off the job market. So I am looking to upgrade my preamp after using my Onkyo as a processor for so many years. I am trying to learn from this board here so please have some patience.
My system:
Amplifier: Mcintosh MC2200, (it is old, I know, 1976 vintage)
Audio Processor: Onkyo TX-NR801
CD Player: Sony DVP-S9000ES and Yamaha DVD-C920
Magnepan 1.7
I know it is not much but it will do for now. I want to upgrade to a better amplifier and a preamp and that is why I am turning to this board. And the fact that I am not working now is I need to watch how I spend my money real conservatively for it to last for a long time. I hope I can learn along the way and pass it on to some of my friends. I knew two older colleague who also used this board constantly to upgrade their equipment. One of them had a Krell amplifier that died and the weight of 150 lbs alone prevented him to get it repaired. That is why reliability and price are the most two important considerations for me, right after performance.
I had spent half the afternoon reading through my search: "best preamp." The opinion varies by a wide range. The is no collective thought like a report or a chart plotting the results. For an example, if I am looking for a preamp between $2000 to $3000, I wish there is a report stating the frequency of the brand mentioned by the board members and plot them on a chart, like a charting of a survey. Is there such a report or study? Thank you for your input and your time.
My system:
Amplifier: Mcintosh MC2200, (it is old, I know, 1976 vintage)
Audio Processor: Onkyo TX-NR801
CD Player: Sony DVP-S9000ES and Yamaha DVD-C920
Magnepan 1.7
I know it is not much but it will do for now. I want to upgrade to a better amplifier and a preamp and that is why I am turning to this board. And the fact that I am not working now is I need to watch how I spend my money real conservatively for it to last for a long time. I hope I can learn along the way and pass it on to some of my friends. I knew two older colleague who also used this board constantly to upgrade their equipment. One of them had a Krell amplifier that died and the weight of 150 lbs alone prevented him to get it repaired. That is why reliability and price are the most two important considerations for me, right after performance.
I had spent half the afternoon reading through my search: "best preamp." The opinion varies by a wide range. The is no collective thought like a report or a chart plotting the results. For an example, if I am looking for a preamp between $2000 to $3000, I wish there is a report stating the frequency of the brand mentioned by the board members and plot them on a chart, like a charting of a survey. Is there such a report or study? Thank you for your input and your time.
24 responses Add your response
I’m a Mac guy through and through. I picked up a Zpre3 Parasound, 3-400.00 dollars. What a cool little preamp.. Remote, sub volume control all kinds of little goodies. Mac, pick one you can afford and can go through if you need to(older). They have a good phono section, service everywhere. Play through for the HT if you all ready have one. Tone control, is a big plus for me. no matter the manufacture. Somebody will chime in about a good integrated. That’s an option too, I suppose. Sell the MC2200 and a couple grand aught to get a good Integrated. That Sony is a real keeper.. a real sonic nugget... Regards |
You want a straight wire with gain, a top of the line remote, amazi g features, and one of the best volume controls in the business. Plus,...GET THIS..........a LIFETIME WARRANTY, get the Sanders sound preamp, and never look back. http://sanderssoundsystems.com/products/preamplifier A little over budget, but sign up for the Magnepan website (forum) get a discount. call Roger, he is amazing to deal with and a professional engineer, who invented the curved electrostat speaker with perfectly timed bass driver incorporated in his speakers. man is a genius, call him, and see what he says, 30 day trial, risk free. just call Roger, and talk with him, one of audios very best. your welcome. Preamp has 20K of capacitance, amazing pre! just call him, and see what is possible. cheers. |
I've not had a ton of repair experiences but I have experienced incredibly fast turnaround from Bryston. As far as Mac, I am fortunate- I can make it up to Binghamton, spend the day in Binghamton, and come back after dinner all in one day. With my almost obligatory stop in Roscoe, it's about 3 hours each way |
Are you buying a preamp based on service/reliability or sound quality. All of the preamps above have circuit boards. If you are a long term owner, to me that is an issue. I repair so many items for several reasons, the design has flaws, the parts are cheap (think tube sockets), poor quality caps & resistors that degrade with heat, etc. Happy Listening. |
oldhvymec, I recently switched over to the Mcintosh camp and I'm very happy with the results. I also have a Zpre3 for an office system that simply defies it's price and size, great little preamp. If I was the OP I'd grab one of those and save up for a newer used Mcintosh integrated. Another kilobuck would put you real close. Reliability and serviceability are important to me as well. But so is the lifestyle factor. I'm working from home now and my stereo is on at least 16 hours a day, doing double duty with the entertainment center as well. This Mcintosh runs so efficient and cool it's hard to tell it's even running by putting your hand on top. So as much as I liked them in the past, no more tubes or Class A for me. Good luck with your choices Sengr. |
Glad to see the Parasound ZPre3 getting recommendations here. I purchased one as my primary pre for all my 2 channel listening, (use the HT ZPre3 bypass to run my AV receiver through as my room Is used for both, and another great feature for me vs the more ‘painful’ options of pre’s without), and could not be happier with that piece. For the price, it sure seems to be a bargain. I’ve heard more than one person think it’s equal to more expensive units. |
Had a Bryston B60. Lightning strike killed everything in the room. Sent to Bryston repair center. Forgot to mention the strike (dumb) so they called me and asked what happened. I told them straight away. They said and I quote: "We don’t usually warranty lightning strikes but we’ll fix it this time." That amp is gone but there is still and always will be something marked "Bryston" on my rack. Eh! |
Avoid brands that are subcontracted to the lowest Chinese, etc. bidder. GAS (Ampzilla) and Hafler were randomly unreliable. The designs were great, but like too many audio designers, they contracted out the product, and sold a crap load, then unloaded the company, to begin another. Check to see where it is made. |
Reliability? Quality? Sound Quality? Check out Quicksilver Audio. I have had Mike's Mid Mono amps for 6 years, rock solid reliable. Sound great. Just picked up the Quicksiler headphone amp. Forget about the fact it is a headphone amp,it is the best sounding amp I have ever owned. All Quicksilver amps and preamps are point to point , no circuit boards. He makes a remote pre that is $1500, check it out if you are looking for a fully analog preamp |
Guys Thanks for all the responses. To me, it is all about getting the value for what you paid for. I will probably stick to Mcintosh for now and see if I like it. I recently found out about another service center that can work on Mcintosh. The seller advertise on Craigslist and noted he had taken his amp to an alternate to the authorized Mcintosh service center listed on McintoshLabs.com. The review on the original service center listed on the website was not that good. I am afraid to take my amp in there to get the unit checked out and probably do a capacitor check too. I have read it typically cost around $300 to do a service and recap. Is that an accurate estimate. What are your experience in getting your Mac amps serviced like diagnostic and assessment; and recap cost? The authorized service center would charge $150 just to look at it. Not sure if that fee applies toward any repair. I will definitely look at the other place first. I will start another post and talk about my intend pre amp purchase. |
