hi clio09:
are the earlier joule electra preamps of the la-100, namely the mark one and mark two, more euphonic ?? |
hi aball:
are there any tube preamps you are aware of, which you would call syrupy ? the term is frequently used, but i have yet to hear a preamp i have described as syrupy.
i wasn't looking for a preamp, until today. i have an old prreamp from the 90's which needs to be replaced.
i too am looking for a warm, but also euphonic preamp. it's not easy. most tube preamps are two detailed and spectrally unbalanced for my taste. i just returned from ces and didn't hear one preamp i wanted to own. |
hi tpsonic:
what is the ai model 3 ? is it a 6sn7 based preamp ?
what is the website that describes this product ?
thanks. |
i visited so many rooms at T.H.E. show and the Venetian, that i may have lost track of some of them.
suffice it to say, i was not impressed with any particular preamp. since i myself am looking for a tube preamp, the situation is disappointing.
i have no preamp in mind that i would really like to audition, although i am thinking about the mcintosh 220.
i will now list some of the preamps that i heard, but i may not be able to provide model numbers:
gill audio, art audio, audio research, melody, navison, modwright, aesthetix, unison, bat, cat, antique sound lab, quad, zanden, granite audio, einstein audio, ayon, artemis labs, von gaylord, consonance, herron and hovland.
the above are all tube products. obviously, there were solid state preamps as well.
you might ask, why haven't i singled out one of these products as worthy of my attention.
the answer is simple. i broght a cd of an acoustic guitar. i was not satisfied with the sound of the guitar on most of the stereo systems i heard at the show.
obviously this is the right thread to discuss these matters. i am looking for a very warm preamp and cd player. i also spoke to the designer of dodd audio and he commented that his preamp is basically neutral. |
its not that my expectations are unrealistic, or my hearing is deficient, because i visted these rooms with three other people and our observations concurred most of the time.
the problem is that manufacturers are attempting to design very linear components. unfortunately components are not perfect. there are flaws. the flaws usually comprise extra energy in the upper midrange/lower treble which create timbral inaccuracy. |
hi rcprince:
i owned a jadis jpl and sold it within several months.
i did not like the preamp. it was too detailed and transparent. there was no tube bloom. the one jadis components i did like were the ja 80 and def 7 amps. both were very rich, euphonic and a joy to listen to. the other jadis component i liked was the orchestra, an integrated amp. i am not a fan of their preamps. |
i have listened to both in my own system.
the pv5 is more tube like then the pv 10 and the sp 8 is not very tube like. i have listened to the sp6's and sp3's.
my concern about some of the older preamps is the possibility that parts will nedd replacement and then the preamp will change its sound.
i have heard several single ended amplifiers i like, but very few preamps.
hopefully, i'll find one. i am looking into the audio note preamps, but i have no idea as to their sonic signatures.
i remember listening to an mfa luminescence which i liked years ago, but there were many versions of this preamp. |
hi mitch2:
i have never liked the atmosphere electronics. again, it's the modern tube design, on the neutral side. yes, its very transparent and it's not edgy, but there is no romance. it is not tube like in the classic sense. |
hi jafox:
the jadis ja 80, the original defy 7, some of the cj pv5 preamps are all examples of the classic tube sound--creamy, rich, and carmel colored--yummy.
audio research pramps do not have the classic tube sound.
it's no big deal. very few tube preamps have that sound. |
the beef i have with audiofeil is partially the result of his not reading what i say. if i hear a bunch of stereo systems each having different preamps, i report what i hear. it's not a matter of expectation its a matter of perception and taste. a dealer has a vested interest in selling products he carries and may be sensitive to comments about them. that's ok. people have different perceptions and taste. when comments are made out of ignorance or there is an attempt to invalidate perceptions, that's just audio redneck behavior.
audiofeil, i have nothing against you, personally and i recognize i may be stepping on your feet, but i would one can be civil about differences and be a mature adult.
it's only material objects we are discussing here, not high priority issues. lighten up.
by the way jtgofish, what preamp do you currently own ?
at this point my preamp candidates include, shindo, prima luna and audio note. |
hi fla:
i have heard vac gear, but not in my own system. i assume the cary preamp is current generation ? i owned an slp94 and i have heard many all cary systems at ces. not once have i enjoyed listening to them.
i believe dennis had is going in a different direction--designing more linear, less euphonic components.
i may consider the mcintosh c 220. at least it has contour adjustments to the treble and bass. |
hi rcprince:
at the time, i owned a pair of sonus faber amator electa speakers, a tube amp (i don't remember which) and not sure of what digital source i was using as well.
the jadis components i mentioned struck me as very vintage tube-like, but not the jpl. the telefunken tube which was one of the tubes in the preamp is not my cup of tea either.
i stand by my original statement that this preamp, as compared to an original pv5, is not particulary tube like.
it would be most useful if a bunch of us could evaluate the same stereo system and comparte notes. i think what is occuring is a diefference in perception. how dark is dark, or for a better analogy, how many teaspoons of sugar is needed for a cup of coffeee to be considered sweet ? |
you are right in one sense. in most cases, i am not comparing preamp a to preamp b in the same system.
my comments about a bunch of preamps auditioned in diefferent systems is that i find certain preamps lacking warmth--,i, a roll off in the range 1000 to 3000 hz, a slight peak in the range 90-200 hz and a laid back or recessed treble reponse, without regard to relative differences. if a preamp exhibits these characteristics in different systems, the chances are i won't report the sound of a stereo system as edgy or over detailed, especially if there is a tube amp, preamp and tube cd player in the system. i am using intuition nad the facts speak for themselves. i have auditioned some preamps in my own system and have compared several preamps in another system.
however, i would conjecture that i would not find any preamp designed today that is warm, based upon my definition. |
