Review: Bottlehead Corp ForePlay rev.2 preamp Tube preamp

Category: Preamps

This is a kit. So you need to solder. But if you do, this is a great little preamp, able to make a very clean and musical presentation. Assembly is fairly straightfoward, if you follow the comprehensive instructions. There are many tweaks online, including high-quality stepped attenuator designs, dual mono power supplies, and upgrade chassis'. A very good little preamp, it worked better in my system than the RL-11. I have a very sensitive amp, however, and as such it took some work to get this to be as quiet as I need. Once I had solved my noise issues, this was a superior preamp in every way- but by that point I had installed all kinds of tweaks, including stepped shunt attenuators and dual mono power supplies, outboard power supply, etc, etc....
Most people seem to have no noise issues, but the A100 puts out 100WPC with 1.1V input, so it is a real bear on noisy preamps. All in all, a great product, I learned a lot, and with a buncha work, built something that could compete with many an expensive (kilobucks) pre out there.

Associated gear
B&W DM605 s2 speakers
Acurus A100 Amp
EAD DSP-1000 DAC

Similar products
Acurus RL-11
DIY
Various pieces at shows