I had the Van Alstine Transcendence which was a great preamp with plenty of inputs. I upgraded to an Aesthetix Calypso and the difference in SQ was marked. The Calypso also has a remote, plenty of inputs both balanced and RCA but it is a line stage but as someone has suggested you would be better off with a separate phono pre. The Calypso has a plug on the back labelled phono but I assume that is for connecting a phono pre. The sparse manual makes no mention of the phono connection.
Recommendations please!
So I am flirting with getting a new (at least to me) preamp. I currently run an Audible Illusions Modulus 3A with the MC phono boards. It's a great preamp that I have been using for maybe ten years, and heartily recommend it to others. I have thoroughly enjoyed it -- except for the lack of remote. I am getting to find it tedious to get up to mute it or adjust volume every time I need to do so. And at ten years of use, it's about the oldest piece in my system, so a change just for the heck of it wouldn't be unwelcome.
I need plenty of inputs (Phono, DAC, CDP, tuner, a couple of aux (for more phono!), and would like both phono section and balance control/dual mono (the Mod 3A is dual mono). Obviously, a remote. Amp is a recently upgraded MacCormack DNA-1. I want something that will sound at least as good as what I have now. Used is possible, but I'm not interested in vintage this time around. I like, but don't necessarily require, tubes. No need for balanced inputs.
Budget? Let's keep it under $3K USD -- preferably WELL under.
Tall order, right? That's why I've kept the AI Mod3A so long . . .
Thoughts?
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@rnm4 imo your AI M3A preamp is worth keeping, and if someone such as @bigkidz can add a nice remote control setup and upgrade it for you too, this might be another serious consideration - - if your goal is a remote with improved sound. A good friend who passed owned the same AIM3A preamp for many year. He ran it with a Music Reference RM9 MKII tube amplifier. I heard it with a nice upgraded Sonic Frontiers preamp and then the RM9MKII both, many times. Very nice. |
Another option would be to add a transparent remote volume control on the cheap like this, which uses high-quality Vishay resistors in its stepped volume control… https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649881452-placette-audio-rvc-wremote/ |
Hello Ato all,having owned a Audio store and knowing upgrades or modding very well ,many preamps miss the boat at the end the volume control is very important and using the little round silver alps pot is such a down grade ,it has plastic carbon contacts $20 retail ,you are loosing a Lot of inner,low level detail.a great example the top prima luna $4500 preamp ,went through all that trouble to put in a lot of nice parts them totally blew at on the outputs , a shunt resistor ladder type NIght and day better, as well as ,relay type ,linear digital type .one ofmy good friends build preamps, look at Don Sachs ,he builds a excellent preamp ,and uses the Excellent Khozmo volume attenuation ,buy with theVishay naked output resistors on the outputs fantastic resolution ,yes dealers cost $250 but much much better then cheap Alps type. My point is lookfor quality , even the $900 Schiit audio tube preamp uses a resistor ladder output on the volume. |
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