I must confess that I am unfamiliar with most of the preamps others have suggested, but I suggest you consider Backert Labs. I have the Rhumba Extreme 1.4, and am thrilled with it. Mine is paired with a Parasound JC5 amp, which is pretty neutral. The Rhumba adds a touch of warmth, and the sound stage is incredible. Before I bought it I called Backert Labs and spoke with Andy, their president. He spent a lot of time with me, talking about what I wanted and what was in my system. He even talked me out of spending more for the top of the line Rythym. In your price range, and worth considering IMO.
Preamp Upgrade Advice
I'm pretty new to higher end preamps, but looking for one to take over my current system. I had been using the preamp built into my Sonnet Morpheus DAC (which i'll be keeping for now until I upgrade to a Pasithea or something else, the preamp portion on these is functional but very basic). I have a benchmark LA4 right now, which works and is very clean, but its an almost overly dry and neutral sound. I'm looking for something with a warmer and fuller sound. Not sure if I want tubes or not, i've traditionally stuck to solid state but i've only ever tried budget tube amps before which were always too muddy and veiled for me
Only real criteria is it needs to have low output impedance to fit with my amps (ideally 50-100 ohms), balanced is a plus but not absolutely necessary. Doesn't need phono or a dac. If anyone has experience comparing the below i'd greatly appreciate it. Budget is $5-10k
Pass Labs XP-12 (current top choice, I've heard it before but not at home)
Audio Research LS-3 or LS-2
Conrad Johnson ET6/ET6SE
Rogue Audio RP-7 or RP-9
Bricasti M20 (over budget, but I could stretch for it)
Bryston BR-20 or BP-19
Naim NAC 322
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@mbarrett635 Can't agree with you more. I upgraded from a cj pv-12 heavily modified by Bob Backert. Having known Bob for over 20 years I decided to stop having him improve my cj and just go for the Rhumba Extreme 1.4. As Bob plays all of his preamps for many days prior to sale, it sounded good right away. Qualities of special merit are the dynamic drive, bass slam and depth. Listen to a recording with well a recorded drum kit. Amazing thump from the kick drum. Ex. Elton John’s “ Captain Fantastic” album. If your set up allows for it the soundstage is enveloping, with the height especially noteworthy. Bob and his son have worked for years at refining their designs with the patented Greenforce” power supply being at the heart of it all. Great gear, beautiful inside and out with a heavy metal remote to control volume. I got the silver model. How about you? |
- 46 posts total