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Just got Audible Illusions L1, but it sound harsh

I just got a Audible Illusions L1 preamp to replace my Rotel RC 1070. I can hear it is much more detail, it sounds more forward and bigger sound stage. But I also found it too harsh. Especially in vocal, the "s" sound is very loud and quite alloying. I don't have it in my RC 1070, but at the same time, it doesn't sound as musical. It is just like sing behind a curtain. I don't hear that detail, but also, those annoying "s" sound is "filter" out. Is it a characteristic of this preamp? Is there any thing I can do? I am using a Rotel RB 1080 amp. Should I try another preamp? Or try another amp?
gte357s
mallardducks
13 posts
 
Apologies if someone else has mentioned this...

AI notes that the L1 inverts phase and you should swap your + and - cable connections at the speaker.

I have had an L1 for many years; this makes a big difference. If you were nice and smooth with the Rotel preamp (which almost for sure doesn't invert phase) then you would swap + and - to get nice and smooth with the L1.

Because I have no idea how much experience you have with stereo fiddling I'll just say equipment off, unplugged and give it time to discharge before connecting/reconnecting any cables/wires or opening anything up to take tubes out to clean pins/sockets.
jadem6's avatar
jadem6
1,071 posts
 
DNA-1 is a great choice
narrod
1,064 posts
 
Mallardducks is correct. The preamp inverts phase. If you haven't swapped your speaker cables you are not hearing the L1
as you should.

Wendell
gte357s OP
105 posts
 
Thanks for the reply, and yes, the phase is already inverted before I run my test =)
weebeesdad
80 posts
 
FWIW, I used an AI 2C for many years and found the Svetlana 6n1p to be the smoothest (least harsh) tube type of any that I tried. AI warns against using the 6n1p for performance reasons, however, for me, it was consistently the preferred choice in my system. They're relatively cheap and so might be worth a shot... (Note that this tube is listed as a recommended choice in "Joe's Tube Lore" referenced in a post above..).
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