Best Tube PreAmp - McIntosh vs. Audio Research vs. VAC vs. Atma-Sphere
I’m in the market for a Stereo Tube Preamplifier for around $5k-8k in a used market. The reason I want a Tube PreAmp is because I love listening to Male Vocals with smooth velvety sound of Tube.
I will eventually be integrating it into a HT setup. When I’d Parasound Halo A51 5-channel Amp, I typically listened to Music 30% & watched movies 70% of the time. You never know but the % might change after I get the Tube PreAmp.
Source: Oppo BDP-105, Nakamichi RX-505 tape deck
Amplifier: Luxman m900u
Speakers: Tyler Acoustics Linbrook System II Floorstanding (89db, 8 ohms)
My question to you is which PreAmp would you recommend & why? I would prefer feedback from someone who has done some sort of comparison with atleast two of the following or similar type of PreAmps. I understand more you spend, more you get for your money. But I would prefer to stay at the lower spectrum of my price range than the higher.
Later on the plan is to build a HT system & will add Amp for surrounds & center.
@soix The problem you have with this approach is the ability to drive interconnect cables in such a way that the cables don't influence the system. Most of the home theatre processors I've seen lack that ability. A good preamp (if balanced, supporting AES48) can do this. So there is an argument for an active preamp, if sound quality is your goal.
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@soix : I never thought about burning through tubes & how expensive it could be while video watching. @atmasphere : The MP1 is among the top 4 of my list. What's the life of various tubes in MP1, number of tubes/ models, and how expensive they're? Does certain tubes have to be replaced in set? |
Well, it depends. For me it is Audio Research Ref... you can see my system by clicking on my ID. You must listen to a Mac system to,be sure you want to go that route. Many people love the sound... but it really lacks detail. VAC, CJ, ARC, AtmaSphere are great sounding preamps. Integrating a 2 channel system into a HT is typically a really bad thing for two channel. Can you avoid this and have two systems? I am fortunate enough to have separate systems and it is one of the best things about both.
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