I would imagine a Line-2 upgraded for $1K today would probably smoke anything you can buy around $2500 and I would certainly personally suggest staying with tubes for your preamp. Pretty sure the Line-2 is well built with a large outboard power supply, with a refresh from the original builder who knows the circuit well it could be a real giant killer. Just my 2 cents, good luck and happy listening!
Upgrade my Sonic Frontiers Line-2, or buy a used solid state Pre?
I bought a pair of Revel M106 speakers to replace some ancient active speakers. I plan on buying a used Pass Labs XA30.5 amp to drive them. FYI, I also have a Velodyne F1200 sub.
Maybe I'm jumping the gun here, but I suspect the 16 year old Line-2 won't equal the amp or the speakers in terms of resolving power. For $1000, I can have Parts Connexion upgrade my Line-2 to the latest components, which according to Chris Johnson, would yield significant improvements.
My question is, are there any used solid state preamps that would sound better than the upgraded Sonic Frontiers Line-2 for around $2500?
My other question is, does anyone have an idea how the Line-2 SE Plus would compare to the current crop of products out there, tube or SS? Is it worse or better than a Halo JC2, Pass XP-10, Peachtree Grand Pre X-1?
Maybe I'm jumping the gun here, but I suspect the 16 year old Line-2 won't equal the amp or the speakers in terms of resolving power. For $1000, I can have Parts Connexion upgrade my Line-2 to the latest components, which according to Chris Johnson, would yield significant improvements.
My question is, are there any used solid state preamps that would sound better than the upgraded Sonic Frontiers Line-2 for around $2500?
My other question is, does anyone have an idea how the Line-2 SE Plus would compare to the current crop of products out there, tube or SS? Is it worse or better than a Halo JC2, Pass XP-10, Peachtree Grand Pre X-1?