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

Esoteric C03 preamp or Mark Levinson 326S preamp 

ANY FEEDBACK - THOUGHTS - IDEAS would be so appreciated.

I am in the middle of total system re-fit and have made many changes - I am sure too many but I am quite happy now and now have my preamp choice down to these 2-preamps.

Can you guys provide any feedback about either of these. I like to hear from you guys. I read all the reviews on both and those are all well and good but I always get the real ho-down low-down from you guys - good or bad.

                                                ** Back Ground info**

** Room is 
14 x 24 w/Cathedral Ceilings - 16 Foot a peak

** Music likes:
Assorted Music no metal or loud hard rock anymore really - not much Large Scale classical either but everything else.

** Likes / Priority: 
Transparency - Delicate - Linear - High resolution - microscope but not sterile not etched or lifeless - I know there is a fine Line here but I'm looking to walk the line as close as I can - real see through into the music - transparent to the source because I love my DAC - extended and to remove as many layers without being clinical - image and sound stage lover - tight bass - hate flab - like speed and transparency but needs to be musical. 

** Perspetive
Just had a BAT VK32SE brand new tubes / certified pre-owned, mint same as new preamp. Wrong match. Just looking to go total other way. Not what I am looking for.

** More Perspective - I have been running my Bricasti Direct M1SE to my Pass Labs X350.5 amps and really starting to love it. I want to expand on this sound a bit. Little more depth, width of stage, bass, dynamics but don't want to add veils or give up a lot in transparency - I know I will give up some vs direct in doing so. That is why I am looking for the very best SS preamp I can get in my range and have come up with these two choices and wanted to know your thoughts. 

System: 
https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/5160

Magico S5 Loud Speakers

Bricasti M1 Special Edition DSD DAC 

Pass Labs X350.5 Balanced Stereo Amplifier 

PS Audio P10 Power Plant Regenerator 

Kubala-Sosna Emotion 2.5M Speaker Cables 

Assorted IC's Balanced and Single ended.

Digital PC based front end that I have been tweaking and evolving:

Transport: microRendu 1.4 and Full Suite of UpTone Audio Premium Power Supplies (2)x LPS-1 and (1) JS2 LPS - (2) Regens - the new ISO and an Amber and all powered with premium/custom Canare / Oyide DC cables for all power supplies plus the great Tellurium Q Black Diamond Reference USB cable and a Curious Regen Link USB Cable.   

Really appreciate any help you can provide on these 2-preamps. If you would like more info please let me know - all comments and feedback are most welcome and deeply appreciated :)


Thanks guys/gals 

Fsmithjack 



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hk_fan
416 posts
 
Updates???  Thoughts/impressions?
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,594 posts
 
Sort of settled for a lot flabby bass and rolled off top and bottom because extension and my geniune understanding and appreciation for it came later in the game so I wasted a lot of great gear to be honest.
I would not settle for that either- and that is not what tubes are about, although I certainly agree that if things are not right- that is what you will get.

You don't need to suffer a loss of bandwidth at either end. Tubes can go to DC, and the same tube can go to many MHz- so if the circuit is right, the speed and bandwidth should not be a problem.

I went down a similar path although a very long time ago- amps of the quality of the Pass were not available back then so I wound up building my own stuff. Because I played in an orchestra I had some idea of what real instruments were supposed to sound like. The amps and preamps I eventually developed have the bandwidth and speed one expects of good solid state gear (accomplished by having direct-coupled outputs on both the amps and preamps, just like solid state but without the harshness). But if you didn't know that sort of thing existed, you might not believe it could be so.

If something like the Pass had existed back then I might not have been challenged enough to make my own gear. Nelson knows what he is doing!

I still don't understand how it came down to the two preamps you asked about, but in the end it doesn't matter- what *does* matter is that it works for you!
fsmithjack's avatar
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fsmithjack OP
712 posts
 
Thanks Jayant - i appreciate it a lot! 

Thanks test pilot - appreciate it also. I never really took the time to share in the past but wish I did because i have learned more here from other members than any other source other then my own system and even then I still needed to learn how to connect all the dots.

kalali - thanks for the response. Appreciate it.

hk fan - what’s up man! 

Yeah so i made the deal on the Mark Levinson 326s and your feedback and comments  via email being a current owner were super helpful and really helped me decide which way to go.

Super appreciate that. Nothing better then when you can not hear the component yourself then to chat with a current owner of the product and ask specific questions and with this I put the most stock in for sure and really appreciate the help!

So made the payment last night and I’m off Wednesday so Shipping out my BAT trade tomorrow and hope to get by weekend but most likely won’t get until mid next week. I’m psyched - once i decide and make the deal can’t wait to get the new component. It’s like Christmas for adults being an Audiophile and having a great new peice on the way. 

Super excited. I mean regardless of any micro-specifics the Mark Levinson 326s is a very nice peice and I sure hope it fits in how envision it but what I love the most is when i do a deal like this and it works out even better then i had hoped. I must admit that is rare but it has happened and always hope it wil happen again !!!! Wish me luck !!! 


68pete
992 posts
 
fsmithjack
The Mark Levinson 326s is a good pre amp. You will enjoy it.  Report back lets us know.
enjoy Pete
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
I used to do a LOT of this back in the glory days of Audiogon (pre-2008).
I dubbed it the Audiogon "Buy 'N Try" methodology. Nothing like listening in your own system with your own gear to try stuff out.
I even recall one time, in around 2005-2006, when I had 4 quality preamps in my house for a three month demo (Krell, ML, CJ, BAT).
I bought them all on Audiogon, listened to them all, kept the one that I liked, and sold the other 3.

Those days are long gone for me now. This is such a buyers market the last 3 years or so, that selling is no fun anymore. 
What keeps me from rotating gear anymore is the dreadful thought of having to sell something. I HATE selling in this market.

So, due to the current state of the audio market, I don't experiment much anymore. 2000-2008 Audiogon was like the Wild, Wild, West!!! ;^)
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