I would focus on ARC used gear. First off if you purchase wisely, you will not lose any of your investment. The reason being that ARC is well established and their gear is extremely well made. So far as it sounding leaner than CJ, maybe their newer stuff but less so their vintage gear which IMHO is still desirable and offers excellent performance with careful tube selection and changing out some of the capacitors to enhance performance. Example, the classic SP-10 pre-amp that Elizabeth notes above. There are reasons its used value continues to increase and is still sought after by audiophiles and they aren't sentimental, believe me! The SP-11 and SP-15 changed the direction, more towards the leaner and accurate presentation but also superb performance, a matter of taste and system matching to be sure.
Which is a better choice? New, or used preamp?
So I've been doing a lot of research, and am interested in people's opinions about a new vs. used tube preamps...
I'm looking for a good quality tube pre, maybe around $1500. People have recommended some new products (Doge an YS for example) in that price range, but I can't help but wonder if I'm not going to get a better performance with a used pre in that price range that used to sell new for maybe $2500-$3500?
That would be a 10-15 year old pre probably, so has the quality advanced such that the YS could present a better soundstage, for example?
Thanks,
Michael
I'm looking for a good quality tube pre, maybe around $1500. People have recommended some new products (Doge an YS for example) in that price range, but I can't help but wonder if I'm not going to get a better performance with a used pre in that price range that used to sell new for maybe $2500-$3500?
That would be a 10-15 year old pre probably, so has the quality advanced such that the YS could present a better soundstage, for example?
Thanks,
Michael