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Once again...looking for a "tube like" SS preamp

Hi

I am looking for a solid state preamp that has the fatigue free sonic signature of a tube preamp. For reasons that will completely bore everyone out there, my setup makes it difficult to get a tube preamp like the Aesthetix or VTL which I absolutely love.

Source is a Bryston BDA-1 DAC. Amplification is Jeff Rowland 501 mono blocks. Speakers are Tannoy Kensingtons. I am considering between the Bryston BP26 (matches the source) and Jeff Rowland Capri (matches the source). I would love to hear from people who have had experience with either of these two models on how the sound compares with tube gear. Also, should I be considering any other models in the $5k +/- range that would fit best what I am looking for?

Thanks.
lp_newbie
mitch2
1,911 posts
 
I agree with Philjolet who said above,
Look for excellent solid state and enjoy it for what it is.
.....and Dover nailed it with the Tom Evans recommendation. I own the TEAD Vibe (Lithos 7) with Pulse II and it betters every single SS preamp I have heard by a long shot, and most (if not all) of the tubed units I have owned/heard too.
mrdecibel
1,244 posts
 
One of my systems has an RGR preamp that I find is quite tube like......
johnss
291 posts
 
tough to do unles you are willing to do some work to a ss pre or have someone do it for you. First thing you need is a monster transformer, almost all use 15-30 watters, need 500 watts. numerous other upgrades are needed regardless of unit price.
orpheus10
5,988 posts
 
Lp newbie, I would not be the least bit bored by any or all of the reasons your setup makes it difficult to have a tube pre.
mikey8811
194 posts
 
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I have yet to hear a solid state pre that sounds like tubes. I have tested the Jeff Rowland Capri in my solid state system and I was also going down a similar path as you are now. It is a great pre - I heard things in recordings in the context of my system I had not heard before as it is very transparent and highly resolving but ultimately was too fatiguing for me, although to a lesser degree than other SS pre's. The Ayre K5xe MP was in my system smoother and had more body than the Capri but that isn't tube like either. None of them have the harmonic richness of dimensionality that tubes can give.
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