Audio Horizons TP 2.0 Preamplifier

Sherod, with all respect, considering every element of your system is new, how can you separate out and evaluate the performance of one component...any component...in your entirely new system?

Well, Grant, I can't. They are new to me in that I haven't heard them all together. The units themselves are all broken in( including cables) with the exception of the preamp,which is brand new. So I can't say that the preamp sounds good in and of itself and I don't have another preamp to pop in and do a comparison to eliminate preamps, but the overall sound is much better than I previously had( which by the way consisted of a Stratos Extreme amp). It's probably a sum of its parts thing. All I know is that at this point, whatever the 2.0n preamp is contributing, it's certainly making some very nice sounding music. Thanks for pointing that out, Grant, with all due respect.

I forgot to mention that my sources for listening are the McCormack UDP-1 universal player and a highly modded H/K Citation 18 tuner. No phono at this time. I sold my Linn Sondek a few years ago(dumb mistake), but I do have a very extensive LP collection that counts in the hundreds. Once system has fully broken in, I'll be experimenting with cabling to fine tune the sound. Being a cable freak, I have tons of cabling to experiment with.

Well folks. I know you're all waiting in anticipation on an update on the sound of my new Audio Horizons 2.0n preamp. You're going to have to wait a bit longer, because I just popped in some NOS Siemens Cca tubes and it needs some further play time now to break in more. I can say that this preamp, in conjunction with the other components, is sounding very musical and I'm really enjoying the music. This is by far the best-sounding system I've ever put together on a decent budget without breaking the bank. I am sending my main tuner( a primary source of listening for me) to Joseph Chow for a slight mod next week. I'm currently experimenting with a variety of cabling to further fine-tune my system. So far, my speaker cable of choice is the AZ Satori, but by next week, I'm going to put the PS Audio Reference back in for a final decision. I'm also going to experiment with a few power cords on the preamp over the weekend to get the right sound I'm looking for. I just ordered some NOS E82cc(12au7), Mullard and Siemens, to put in my mono amps for some fun tube rolling. My goal is within the next few weeks to have the system fine-tuned where everything clicks in. Then I'm going to post my virtual system and enjoy the music for a while. I'm very pleased with the service and communication that Victor and Joseph have given me. Victor actually rewired my power outlets at no charge. This is such a fun hobby! (~:

Sherod,
I've looked forward to reading your update. I'm glad to learn that all goes well. My system, too, has never sounded better. There is only one point in your report about which I may be able to suggest improvement. I see you haven't tried Joseph's speaker cables. They are excellent. I've been using them for months in my system. Break in time is pretty quick (40-50 hrs). I find two characteristics about these cables most striking. First, the tonal balance is wonderful - top to bottom there are no dull or hot frequencies. Second, the noise floor on them is very low. I was a Beta tester for Josph's cables; I heard the improvements in sound quality (via lower noise floor) he made in them. Of course, I also heard the great improvement in sound quality over the other cables I used previously.
So, I recommend that you give them a try.