Esoteric C03 preamp or Mark Levinson 326S preamp- ANY and ALL FEEDBACK / HELP PLEASE

Well he did have the original S5’s with the same Vitus SIA-025 integrated amp before he upgraded to the S5 mk II’s.

FYI, he is using all Jorma cables and cords, which are quite pricey, but he loves the Magico/Vitus/Jorma combination.

I'm curious as to what you mean by this Ralph. I know many who are very happy with the ARC preamp/Pass Lab amp combination, including myself.

Al got it- The input impedance of the Pass puts the ARC at its limit. It might work well for you, but this does suggest it can get better

Thanks - guys - really these two preamps because last week i got a BAT Preamp and just feel Tubes based on what I’m after won’t work. The BAT compared to my Bricasti direct gave up much too much. I much prefer direct. Now when i used to Use a tube amp i found a pre to be much better. I’m amazing at how much of a difference my new Speakers show and expose everything. The BAT is fine as far as being a nice tube amp but I’m after transparency and dynamics while still be musical but tubes just don’t seem to fit hence my choice for SS. Both dealers will give me what I paid for my BAT and I just need to pay the difference in asking price plus I thought these are two good SS preamps but wanted some more info before i pull the trigger.

OK- if you're only exposure to tubes is BAT then I suggest try again.

Transparency, dynamics and musical- that does not sound like a transistor preamp to me. Maybe the BAT didn't work out, but it does not define all things tube by a long shot!

atmasphere - yes I agree and trust me I have always been a tube lover. Not really for any reason of any specific choice or idea other than tubes have just always sounded much better to my ears.

I love SET's and my love of tubes and SET's sent me on my last numerous systems built around tubes and then SET amps with my great and I mean great 103db Rethm Saadhana V3 Speakers.

There was a time not that long ago that I thought I liked my Rethm speakers better than my Magico's but my Magico's were not broken in yet and I had a terrible matching pair of speaker cables and I did not have my XLR ground pins in my Pass X350.5 amp and they were set up poorly, etc... After I worked those things out everything changed.

The best way for me to say it is like this: For years I just thought tubes were utterly needed for premium top quality sound that I preferred. That enveloping, real, 3D, air and space and feel to the music, that you are there and can feel the music could only be attained via tubes for me.

I had tube amps and preamps and some good ones from ARC, CAT, VTL, BAT, VAC, Cary, Manley, Canary, Triode Lab and others and all had their strengths and weakness but I always wanted and needed tubes up until very recently. 

Basically as of now, I have never heard music in my home so real and true to life. So startlingly transparent and so good and on a level I have never even known in my home. I didn't even know this sound existed outside of tubes.

I thought tubes clearly gave one type of sound and ss another but I could not have been more wrong. You live and learn as they say.

No tubes in any system I have owned and I have owned some decent ones. Not world class - best ever but some pretty competitive upper-middle range hi-fi stuff listed with brands listed above and none have ever reached this high a level in musicality and transparency. My system with all solid state and Magico is extremely musical.

Trust me I get it, I loved tubes but I have seen the light. Modern SS is a different animal and not your grand-dads Adcoms, Threshold or even and an old grainy Krell. Not to knock those older solid products either but for me it all started with the First Watt F2J SS amp with my Rethms 103db.

That amp changed and/or ruined tubes for me for life really.

They brought me to a place I didn't know even know existed. It had all those things that tubes had with all its warmth and 3D glory but now add in speed, PRAT, real PRAT and true - world class transparency while also being warm and lush with bloom but also with extension and real tight and tuneful bass. Oh that extension on both ends was just a god send and when you combined that tube warmth with this see through transparency I was done. Put a fork in me. I am a legit SS convert.

Part of me still thought ok yeah but there is still room for tubes in this whole idea. Well maybe you are right and a different preamp would work great. Its just that I am at the point where I am extremely happy with this all SS sound and just want to push this along and see where it goes. A bit more stage depth and width, and bump up in dynamics and slam while still saying as close to source as possible. I can give up a little here or there if I can get a little more in return overall but with tubes it seems to get what they offer for me at this point it seems I will need to give up too much on the other side. Too high a price to pay type of thing but maybe not and just because the BAT didn't work out I sure there are some great tubes preamps that I would love but I am thinking they will be a lot more money also than I am looking to spend. Something like the: 5SE, REX, Lo or that type of thing is way more money.

Thanks so much for the feedback.

Tonight I am going to pull the trigger in the Mark Levinson 326s preamp.

Tomorrow or actually when I get it and set it up I could be saying it is too polite or laid back or colored but the hope is that it will advance me along this line I have been traveling on which has a steep decent and I am fine taking one step back as long as it is for 2 steps forward :) and 3 steps well that would just be amazing.

Wish me luck :)        

If I had the guts I would try the Vitus Integrated but I'm just too happy with the sound I have now and am thinking its a much safer and the smarter bet to stay on point and work toward finding the right pre-match verse changing the entire amplification chain but there is this little voice nagging me saying - go for the Vitus - do it - do it... lol. Too risky plus getting the ML first still leaves that open after if not happy with it but man everything I read or hear says Magico / Vitus = Perfect Match :)  

Basically as of now, I have never heard music in my home so real and true to life. So startlingly transparent and so good and on a level I have never even known in my home. I didn't even know this sound existed outside of tubes.

Well if running direct from your Bricasti DAC is this great, why are you even considering buying any preamp? Do you have more than one source?

I hope the 326S works out for you.
I know that ML is not my cup of tea though.
However, you spend YOUR money, you make YOUR choices.
Good Luck!