Recommendations for a tubed preamp


I'm looking for a tube preamp that would pair well with my Lampizator Big 7 DAC and Coda S5.5 amp. My speakers are Joseph Audio Pulsars.

I've been considering the LTA MicroZOTL, but unfortunately it's only available in the U.S., and I'm based in Europe. My second option was the Qualiton C200, but there are almost no reviews online, and I’m worried it might be hard to resell later on.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated — thanks!

gabriel123

I second the call for EAR 868. It's been end game for me. Absolutely stunning.

we are a coda dealer the Zesto leto is the preamp we use with our 8 and 16

 

the Zesto is exceptional it  is balanced and has a unique tone control option

it also has an excellent remote Zesto offers exceptional service

 

this preamp is new 11k however we would  be able to offer it to you for far less

as we are currently not using  the preamp in our reference system which ues a Trinov dac preamp

 

Dave and Troy

audio intellect NJ

Zesto dealers

Another vote for the LTA MicroZOTL V3 preamp.  I’m currently running the V3 with a Sim Audio Moon 861V2 amp and am very happy

Conrad Johnson or Audio Research. Sound and resale value . I own a CJ Premier 17ls not regrets all smiles .If I want to up grade I can sell it and basically get the price I paid for it .

@gabriel123 

See if I can whip this off before the World Series game. :)

 I first took out the Shuguang Black Treasure, Mullard black based 5AR4 and Sylvania 6SL7 tubed Coincident 300B out and put in the Coda S5.5 in this system:

Antipodes K50>T+A DAC 200>Nordost Tyr2 XLR>Backert Labs Rhumba Extreme 1.3 (with Rhythm caps)>Inakustik Air 2404 RCA's > amp > Fidelium Speaker cables>Horning Eurfrodites. Power cords are a mix of Shunyata Alpha V2, Sigma V2, Zavfino Silver Dart, and Audioquest Hurricane to the amp. Shunayata Hydra Sigma power conditioner.

I listened to DSD 512 tracks of Miles Davis All Blues, Patricia Barber Ode to Billie Joe, The Moon, Rickie Lee Jones Chuck E's in Love, Holly Cole I Can See Clearly Now, Steven Wilson Luminol for some fast heavy rock, and a Qobuz high res track of Agnes Obel The Curse. 

AMP 1: mids and treble softer, yet no less more detailed, just more polished overall. Bass more even but a little less impact. Soundstage seemed a little larger, with some of the instruments more precise in space. 

AMP 2: Bass more robust, not more defined or deeper but bigger sounding. Mids have a little more edge, highs like cymbals seem to emphasize different frequencies- No better or worse as far as resolution, just different- hard to put words to it in a 30 min comparison. 

If you read the comparison above between the solid state amp and the 300B above you might come to the wrong conclusion. I guarantee if someone was blindfolded and told to pick the 300B tube amp they would choose AMP 1- that was the Coda. Crazy. Makes the Coincident 300B look like a bargain, doesn't it. wink

Out the Backert and in the Prima Luna EVO 400 (PL). First though, the PL was previously "upgraded" with Amperex f33 brown base rectifiers, a set of old Telefunken's, and 2 sets of Tesla 12AU7's. This pre amp with these tubes sounds MUCH better than it did with stock tubes.

I have been using the 2 centre yellow lettered Tesla's with rhodium pins from the PL in the Backert Labs pre, which sounded right in between the Telefunken's and the stock Gold Lions- perfect for my ears. 

There is nothing wrong with the Prima Luna, it sounds good. But the Backert takes everything to a higher level. I already knew it was the better pre amp, and everyone who has heard the Backert would have guessed this, but still it is nice to confirm. 

The Rhumba Extreme yields more separation between instruments, resolution is better, but it is not brighter, rather smoother and more liquid. Voices are less sibilant, and the proverbial veil or haze is removed -one might mistake this for more "air", I hear it as a distortion. It is more dynamic, which if one simply weighed the 2 preamps they might mistake the 50+lb Prima Luna to be the winner here- but a patented more modern technology is employed in the Backert in regards to the power supply. Proof is in the pudding- there is more impact with the Backert. 

More simply the Backert Extreme brings one closer to the real thing, at least to my ears, which I believe is the goal of any audiophile. This is also what I heard when I first put it in this system with the Coincident 300B. 

But if one can't cough up the extra cash I don't see any issue with someone snapping up a Prima Luna EVO 400 and enjoying that for a few years until they upgrade, this is basically what I did. Maybe there are so many for sale because people did not try better tubes in it? It does bring it to a different level. 

Just thinking out loud as to how much I will need to spend to better this upgraded Rhumba Extreme crying But no hurry.