Spatial Audio Raven Preamp


Spatial is supposed to be shipping the first "wave" from pre orders of this preamplifier in May, does anyone have one on order? Was hoping to hear about it from AXPONA but I guess they were not there. It's on my list for future possibilities. It seems to check all my boxes if I need a preamp.

fthompson251

@atmasphere Thanks for chiming in. The information helps. I guess now the question is about the merits of a tube preamp vs SS pre given I have a Class D amplifier. Since you manufacture  both. Thoughts?

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I am hoping a Raven user or 3 with more electrical engineering knowledge than I — a very low bar, that — can offer some guidance on XLR cables to connect the Raven to an amp.

In the first instance, the amp will be the integrated CODA CSiB v2, but other amps are possible in the future.  I need only about 5 feet.  
 

The cable I have on hand that is not otherwise being used is described by its maker (Signal Cables) as follows: 

CABLE DESIGN

2 conductors, 5N Silver/Copper Alloy strands (each channel)

Insulation for each conductor - thin wall Extruded Teflon

Effective gauge size per channel - 22awg

Shield - braided 5N Silver Plated OFC

Outer Jacket - Extruded Teflon

Geometry - Internal Twisted

ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Nom. Capacitance - 18.1 pF/ft

Nom. Conductor DC Resistance - 20.1 Ω/1000 ft

Nom. Inductance - 0.12 µH/ft

that would seem to be low enough capacitance to be good with the Raven, but I wonder what you all think? 
Thanks. 

Thanks, @jaybe.  I had asked David Whitt at Spatial and he said the cable I have should be fine.  And in a completely non-hustling or salesman-like way mentioned that Spatial now makes interconnects.  I had not known that and I see from a post connected to their site that the designer of their cable says it has capacitance of 3-5 pF/foot.  That’s very impressive and a lot lower than the ones I have.  Maybe it’s not really material, but I feel like there is something to be said, with a preamp as carefully designed and built as the Raven, for using cables made by the same folks (even if Lynn & Don didn’t design the cables).  The Spatial ones are not cheap, of course, but given the price of copper and silver, they seem “reasonable”.