New tube preamp

Hi ghasley

My system I have currently does not bore me to tears at all, it's actually pretty good (in my opinion). I am just looking to improve it and I think my preamp is my weak link.  My system consists of a Jay's Audio CDT2 dedicated transport (remember those), the dac (tube output and tube rectified power supply) is a newer company from England called SW1X Audio, I bought their Dac III Standard model, Black Cat Tron (one of their best) bnc digital interconnects, PS Audio BHK Signature preamp, a Pass Labs XA30.8 amp and Eminent Technology LFT8B speakers. Most people are not familiar with the speakers, they are a planar magnetic midrange/tweeter and a dynamic woofer in a sealed box. The interconnect and speaker wire and power cords are all Kubala Sosna "Emotion".

I am very happy with the transport, digital interconnect, dac, amp & speakers and all the wiring. I just feel that the preamp can be improved upon. Full disclosure - I had the BHK preamp, sold it to try the Mcintosh C52, found the Mac to be much less musical than the BHK and sold the Mac and bought the BHK again because it was more musical with better tonality. The Mac was solid state and I value tonality and tonal color most and the BHK pre being a tube design has that, the Mac did not. A good friend on mine was a PS Audio dealer so I got the BHK pre at his true cost each time so I don't get hurt when I sold it. I just want something better.

I also realize that I am very fortunate, I have a dedicated, acoustically treated listening room that has been dialed in over the last five years that allows me to really hear the differences between each component. You quickly realize the difference between a good component and a great component. The attributes I value most are accurate timbre and tonal color and the system has to be involving, it has to draw you in. It has to communicate the emotion message and above all it has to have great musicality. I don't care about the usual audiophile attributes like pinpoint imaging and soundstage width and depth, if it has those great, the attributes I mentioned above are much more important to me. The preamps I am looking at are the Linear Tube Audio Microzotl, the Supratek Cabernet 6SN7 and the Coda 07X. Not because of price but because they are supposed to be very extremely musical with great tonal color. If anyone has owned any of these please let me know. Thank you.

Scot

I tried the bhk pre for a few days and I wasn’t impressed. I have a coda 07x now and it sounds a little better than the bhk. I didn’t like the click/pop sound of the bhk when it reached different volume levels. I like the simplicity and quietness of solid state preamps. I had a plinius and now the coda preamp, they are both nicer than the bhk and modwright preamps I tired. I’ll probably try the backert labs preamp in the near future, just to give tubes another chance. 

Hi phastm,

Thanks for your response and thoughts.

From what I understand, there is a new Coda 07X that has some new design elements that improved the sound quality and supposedly made a big difference. I also understand that they kept the same model number so one can't tell when those improvements started (not very smart if true). So the question is, how old is your Code 07X? According to Terry London who posts on this forum often under the name of teajay just got one in for review (Terry is a professional reviewer for several online hifi magazines) and connected it to his main system and was very impressed with the new models sound quality. He claims that it's fantastic and sounds better than some very highly rated tube preamps and he's not a solid state kind of guy when it comes to a preamp. He will post a review on this pre in Stereotimes.com in the near future. I've know Terry for a long time and I trust his judgement and his ear, he has heard a lot of preamps over the years and he loved this new Coda 07X. I would like to hear one in my system. Thanks. 

Scot  

Sounds like a lot of what you’re looking for might be achieved with tube rolling. I’m far from an expert, but when you mention tone it makes me think you want more of what people refer to as old school tube warmth that more modern tube designs have largely eschewed in favor of a leaner, more neutral character. I’m not sure the BHK hybrid design lends itself to big shifts with tube rolling, but maybe one of the experienced tubeheads can suggest more pliable designs and tube combos for you. You may even want to pick a preamp based on the type of tubes it uses. 

Cat_doorman,

Appreciate your thoughts.

In my BHK preamp I got rid of the stock tubes after about 300 hours (which weren't bad) and put in some older nos Telefunken 12AU7's from the early 1960's and that made a truly unbelievable difference, it was like I went out and bought a new preamp, it completely transformed it. Once you've heard a good nos quality tube in that circuit there's no going back. Well worth the ridiculous prices they're getting for these older nos high end tubes you see on Audiogon and Ebay nowadays.

The more I read about tube preamp designs the more I find that a lot of people out there feel the 6SN7 is the best sounding tube to incorporate in a preamp for sound quality, when the rest of the circuit is executed  properly of coarse.

The two tube pre's I'm looking at (LTA Microzotl & Suprateek Cabernet) are both designed around the 6SN7 tube and both are supposed to have beautiful tonal color with accurate timbre which is exactly the qualities I'm looking for, among others.

The Coda 07X wasn't even on my radar until I talked to Terry London (teajay) who's opinions I value. He posts on this forum a lot and really has a lot of experience and an ear I trust and value. He's a reviewer and has heard more preamps over that last few decades than I could ever hope to hear. When I needed help with a cd transport I emailed Terry and he suggested a Jay's Audio CDT2. He described the sound quality and the build quality as being the best bang for the buck that he's heard in his system. He compared it to several other transports costing 2 - 3 times as much and the Jay's Audio costs and was very impressed with it and recommended it to me. I bought one and couldn't be happier. His description of the sound quality was spot on and the thing is built like a tank. When he told me about the Coda 07X he said it surprised him. He is not a solid state kinda guy when it comes to preamps yet he kept an open mind and allowed the company to send him one for an upcoming review (he's a professional reviewer for several online magazines). He said the thing was amazing. He claims it has beautiful tonal color and accurate timbre, and may be the best he's ever heard for a solid state preamp. He said it basically had all the best qualities of both a solid state and a tube preamp and we all know how rare and hard to find that is! I now want to hear one in my system. If I do I will let you know.  

Scot