Tube pre-amps $3500 under to add "warmth"

hi aball:

are there any tube preamps you are aware of, which you would call syrupy ? the term is frequently used, but i have yet to hear a preamp i have described as syrupy.

i wasn't looking for a preamp, until today. i have an old prreamp from the 90's which needs to be replaced.

i too am looking for a warm, but also euphonic preamp. it's not easy. most tube preamps are two detailed and spectrally unbalanced for my taste. i just returned from ces and didn't hear one preamp i wanted to own.

Mrtennis,

What preamps did you hear at CES?

i visited so many rooms at T.H.E. show and the Venetian, that i may have lost track of some of them.

suffice it to say, i was not impressed with any particular preamp. since i myself am looking for a tube preamp, the situation is disappointing.

i have no preamp in mind that i would really like to audition, although i am thinking about the mcintosh 220.

i will now list some of the preamps that i heard, but i may not be able to provide model numbers:

gill audio, art audio, audio research, melody, navison, modwright, aesthetix, unison, bat, cat, antique sound lab, quad, zanden, granite audio, einstein audio, ayon, artemis labs, von gaylord, consonance, herron and hovland.

the above are all tube products. obviously, there were solid state preamps as well.

you might ask, why haven't i singled out one of these products as worthy of my attention.

the answer is simple. i broght a cd of an acoustic guitar. i was not satisfied with the sound of the guitar on most of the stereo systems i heard at the show.

obviously this is the right thread to discuss these matters. i am looking for a very warm preamp and cd player. i also spoke to the designer of dodd audio and he commented that his preamp is basically neutral.

>>you might ask, why haven't i singled out one of these products as worthy of my attention.<<

You listed some very good equipment. Perhaps you are unrealistic in your expectations and/or your listening skills need refining.

its not that my expectations are unrealistic, or my hearing is deficient, because i visted these rooms with three other people and our observations concurred most of the time.

the problem is that manufacturers are attempting to design very linear components. unfortunately components are not perfect. there are flaws. the flaws usually comprise extra energy in the upper midrange/lower treble which create timbral inaccuracy.