The Jeff Rowland Design Group Capri will do an exceptional job, well within your budget. It's as resolving and involving as you'll hear. Look for GuidoCorona's review elsewhere on A'gon.
Dave
Dave
Help - Need Preamp under 5K for Class D amps
I’ve been looking at preamps for some time now and now that I’ve finally taken delivery of some audiophile quality speakers it time to find this device.
My current setup is as follows:
Line Arrays in the form of AV123 LS-6’s driven by a pair of Nuforce 9 SEV2’s. No pre in the signal path. Source is a Slim devices Transporter. All files EAC ripped FLAC lossless compression.
AC services:
VH-Audio power cords service the Nuforce’s in Flavor 4 version as well as the Power conditioner. Dedicated circuit utilizing a Furutech outlet and Furutech silver IEC connectors, Furutech gold plugs on the opposite end on power cords except on the Transporter end where I use a Oyaide 079.
Adona Rack and a considerable amount of room treatments.
So what I hear while sitting on the couch is a pretty resolving system with pinpoint imaging, a decent amount of bloom, dynamics galore and a generally pleasing sound except… I’m not quite where I want to be in terms of just being able to relax into the music. I’d like a bit more air, or bloom or warmth? Sorry I don’t have the right description but perhaps the fact that I have NO pre is the problem in general. Overall sound seems to be a bit clinical. Maybe that’s the word.
This is why I ask the help of my audiophile brothers and sisters here. Running my MAC RCA Palladiums’ doesn’t improve this much over the balanced cables I own which are DH-Labs DIYers. Having a home theatre system in tow that utilizes the Nuforce’s as well I find myself constantly moving interconnect cables which is annoying at best.
I’ve been looking at Dan’s Modwright 36.5 and auditioned one from a fellow Audiogon seller. I couldn’t get a handle on it’s attributes from that audition – too different a system not to mention that I didn’t like what I was hearing from his setup. Others pre’s I’ve been interested in are as follows:
Parasound Halo JC-2 – No tubes but does that really matter?
Aesthetix Calypso
Audio Horizons 2.1
Modwright 36.5
Other?
Thanks for your advice.
My current setup is as follows:
Line Arrays in the form of AV123 LS-6’s driven by a pair of Nuforce 9 SEV2’s. No pre in the signal path. Source is a Slim devices Transporter. All files EAC ripped FLAC lossless compression.
AC services:
VH-Audio power cords service the Nuforce’s in Flavor 4 version as well as the Power conditioner. Dedicated circuit utilizing a Furutech outlet and Furutech silver IEC connectors, Furutech gold plugs on the opposite end on power cords except on the Transporter end where I use a Oyaide 079.
Adona Rack and a considerable amount of room treatments.
So what I hear while sitting on the couch is a pretty resolving system with pinpoint imaging, a decent amount of bloom, dynamics galore and a generally pleasing sound except… I’m not quite where I want to be in terms of just being able to relax into the music. I’d like a bit more air, or bloom or warmth? Sorry I don’t have the right description but perhaps the fact that I have NO pre is the problem in general. Overall sound seems to be a bit clinical. Maybe that’s the word.
This is why I ask the help of my audiophile brothers and sisters here. Running my MAC RCA Palladiums’ doesn’t improve this much over the balanced cables I own which are DH-Labs DIYers. Having a home theatre system in tow that utilizes the Nuforce’s as well I find myself constantly moving interconnect cables which is annoying at best.
I’ve been looking at Dan’s Modwright 36.5 and auditioned one from a fellow Audiogon seller. I couldn’t get a handle on it’s attributes from that audition – too different a system not to mention that I didn’t like what I was hearing from his setup. Others pre’s I’ve been interested in are as follows:
Parasound Halo JC-2 – No tubes but does that really matter?
Aesthetix Calypso
Audio Horizons 2.1
Modwright 36.5
Other?
Thanks for your advice.
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- 48 posts total
I am intrigued by the comments about the TRL Dude preamp. It seems like an excellent value. What tubes does it use? Some of the LL2 Deluxe's features include: tape loop, two sets of outputs, three pairs of RCA inputs (for a total of four inputs including the tape input), phase switch. The volume controls feature "click stops" and hash marks which make matching left and right quite easy. These may or may not be important to each user. I need all the inputs for my sources, and I utilize the tape loop to interconnect two systems in my home via an Audio Control balanced line transceiver |
In general tubes will get you more midrange warmth and bloom. But this is not always the case. I am sure the TRL will give you this while also improving a host of other things we all want in our sound systems. If $2500 was was budget, then I would say the AH 2.1 and Lamm used are your best choices. But if you can spend $3500 I am not aware of a better pre for what you are trying to accomplish them the Dude by TRL. |
Check out this German beauty...it's a steal for their build quality and suits your budget perfectly Audio Valve Eklipse Tube Preamp |
- 48 posts total