World's best Pre-amp for $10K and above?


Looking for the HOLY GRAIL in Audio? Here it is. I'm in my early sixties and retiring to my final system, which I was going to purchase during the past twelve months and decided to put on the brakes, and investigate whats out there as the most advanced engineered high end audio products for the money in the market place. As far as I'm concerned, the two top engineers in the world for the best Amp and Preamp at low prices are Bent Holter with Hegel Audio in Norway and Roger Sanders with Sanders Sound in Colorado. Why? The Hegel P-30 Pre-amp is a game changer, and will easily compete with Pre-amps at $30K and above. The FM Acoustics 268 Preamp that retails for $107K, uses a technology thats called "feedforward" instead of feedback.
Amps and Pre-amps since the early 80's have all used either global feedback, zero feedback or local feedback to filter out noise and lower distortion by sending and filtering the feedback current to filter capacitors or or an extra filter transformer. A small amount of voltage feedback occurs at the output stage in amps and preamps which goes back into the parts and boards causing noise and distortion which smears the quality of the music.The best Preamps in the world all have S/N noise ratios at 125 db's or above. The Hegel P-30 Preamp uses the same feedforward technology as FM Acoustics but is a more current design that Bent Holter calls "Sound Engine" patented technology that eliminates feedback which is why the P-30 Preamp has a S/N ratio of 132 db's, which has never been accomplished in high end audio with a Preamp costing $10K or below. The same applies to Roger Sanders Magtech amplifier which uses a patented linear voltage regulator that controls and regulates voltage with no excess voltage going back into the amp causing heat and distortion problems. The amp puts out 900 watts into 4ohms. Krell makes a pair of mono blocs that also use a similar voltage regulator. The amps are $100K a pair. HERES THE PERFECT SOLID STATE SYSTEM. A Hegel P-30 Preamp. A Sanders Magtech amp, A pair of Aerial Acoustics 7T speakers. The worlds finest SACD player, the Playback Designs MPS-5, designed by Andreas Koch, who invented SACD technology when he worked for Sony. He built the worlds first outboard DAC in 1982 and is legend in digital engineering. The MPS-5 is the most analog sounding player on the market which costs $17K. The Hegel P-30 is only $7500.00 and the Magtech amp is only $5K. The Aerials are $10K. Buy the solid core cables from Morrow Audio. They are low capacitance cables which matches up perfectly with these components. This combination sounds like the very best tube and solid state gear on the market. The whole system will cost about $42K but will sound as good as any system costing $200K. All of these products are game changers. If you want better looking cabinets and faceplates, then blow your money, but you will not get better performance for what this system has to offer. It is the HOLY GRAIL you are searching for and there is no better combination for the total cost of the system.
audiozen

Showing 13 responses by jwm

Audiozen I wasn't aware of how the PD sounded until I had it. I don't like any components that are lean. I like clear mids, but they have to be organic sounding like in live music. I am not looking for components that go the other way which is what you just mentioned.
Audiozen my system tends to be on the warmer side and the PD was still lean, Lean, Lean. I can just imagine the sound of it in a Thiel, Magico system. Michael Fremer of Stereophile who likes very detailed sound got rid of the PD and now uses the Sim Audio cd player from Canada. He also said the PD is on the leaner side.
The Playback design is the most analog sounding digital player, ha. It is to me the complete opposite. It is lean, lean, lean in the midrange. I won't continue on your other products.
Audiozen I don't care who Koch is. I had the Playback Designs CD player because of the questionable raves. I put 800 hours on it and it was still lean, lean, lean. I could not wait to get rid of it.
Most of the high horse engineers that you so respect have no ears what so ever. I think we are going back to spec wars my TIM distortion is lower than yours.
That does not say very much as I don't like the DCS as well. I am glad you like the MPS-5 and Koch, you are entitled to your opinion as I am to mine. I will tell you the the player I use now only cost 3,000.00 and it beat the MPS-5 hands down. I had two other people over as well with different ears who thought the same thing.
If its your business I bought it used on Audiogon and had it for three months and yes I sold it to another audiofool. I could put the receipt on line, but this is not a communist country.
Podeschi, roll tubes you will be suprised. I never liked stocked tubes in any preamp I owned, unless Audio Research because you can't get any other tubes.
Its obvious that when comparing preamps that not one sounds exactly like the other. I don't know about the distortion thing, but there must be certain specs that we can't or do not know how to measure as of yet for these differences. I agree with Atmasphere that the circuit is the thing. Shitty cirucit with VCaps do not make the grade.
Grannyring no one is saying that parts don't make a difference. Atmasphere said a well designed circuit is more important than just the parts alone. This thread is not talking about parts, but about amplifier specs. in deciding whether you want to own the component. Changing to the Dueland is not going to change what you can measure unless the part your replacing is plus or minus 20%; in other wards way out of spec.
Reviewers and peoples opinions are just that. It peaks our curiosity and hopefully leads one to hear the item for themselves, either at a dealer or a trade show. It is ludicrous to say this is the best as the best is what sings in ones own system. I don't think there is one universal best item out there of any kind.
Tbg, I agree with you 100%. There are way too many companies out there including garage operations to have a hold on everything. I go to CES every year and amazed about how many new companies that crop up that I never heard of. Also lots of companies that are out of business as well. I also agree that I like on line reviews as compared to the heavy advertising magazines. I still miss the magazine started by Jack English years ago I think it was called Sounds Like.