New Preamp or go Integrated
My Vincent SA-32 preamp is starting to hum or make a sizzle sound periodically in the background. The unit is 6 yrs old and the tubes are soldered (factory) and not easily replaced. Since upgrading my speakers to the Dynaudio Countour 20i from Evoke 20, the noise has become more noticeable. I believe it’s due to the revealing nature of the Contours.
My plan is to upgrade with a $5000 budget, to either a new preamp or potentially consider an integrated setup.
Considerations for a preamp would be Mark Levinson No. 26 or PS Audio Stellar Gold for SS. For tube is was considering McIntosh C8, CJ ET7, or Rogue Audio RP-9.
Considerations for integrated would be Hegel H390 or McIntosh MA252.
Current equipment is the Parasound A23+,Lumin D3, Elac PPA phono pre, VPI Prime and the Contour 20i.
If I go the integrated route, I could potentially move up the price point from selling the separate units.
I always appreciate your thoughts based on past experiences, along with other options in the preamplifier/integrated brands.
I incorrectly listed my amp, it is actually the A21+ not the A23. I have narrowed it down to two preamps and appreciate everyone’s constructive feedback. - Backert Rhumba 1.3 (I know it’s tube but there is a lot of good reviews) - Bryston BP-26 I plan to make a purchase this week and will provide an update. |
@deep_333 can be crass and crude with his comments but sometimes he’s on the mark. I agree with his assessment of not pairing a 5k preamp with a parasound amplifier. About 25 yrs ago I had a brief stint with an HCA 2200 II. It was also highly rated by the press. It was a brute of an amplifier but sound quality took a back seat to power quantity. In @vette5451 situation I would go for an amplifier upgrade first. |
The Parasound A21+ is a nice amp, and I owned it at one time. I found it a bit too warm but that was splitting hairs. For a warm amp I like a neutral preamp. The Benchmark LA4 at $2k used was a great match for the A21+. I never recommend this preamp because it is a PIA to get working because it has high gain and it is not as good as the LA4. However, it does work well with the A21+ since the amp has adjustable gain. It is the uber neutral Topping pe90 and can be found for $400 used. Now if you had a lot of cash to spend, I would recommend the Allnic OTL/OCL preamps which are both detailed and holographic. They manage to pull that off.
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