Good question about the Atma preamps. I know my MP-1 with M-60 combo
was dead quiet.
Ultimately though, since my gear is installed in a Salamander Synergy cabinet,
tube troubleshooting and rolling with the MP-1 was a real hassle. Had the
preamp been installed on top of an open rack, there would not have been a
big issue with tubes.
Also, in my system, the MP-1 had a bit of upper midrange "shout"
with both the M-60 and Pass Labs XA-60.5 amps.
I replaced the MP-1 with a Lamm L2 Reference, which has better tonal
balance, better bass control, and is much easier to maintain. IMO.
However, the L2 does not have the massive image size of the MP-1, nor the
slightly warm tonality of the MP-1 (which I was frankly unaware of until I
purchased the Lamm L2 and compared the two). There's always a trade-off.
I'd be curious to hear the Lamm L2 Reference with Atma-Sphere amps. On
paper, the impedance match looks good.
was dead quiet.
Ultimately though, since my gear is installed in a Salamander Synergy cabinet,
tube troubleshooting and rolling with the MP-1 was a real hassle. Had the
preamp been installed on top of an open rack, there would not have been a
big issue with tubes.
Also, in my system, the MP-1 had a bit of upper midrange "shout"
with both the M-60 and Pass Labs XA-60.5 amps.
I replaced the MP-1 with a Lamm L2 Reference, which has better tonal
balance, better bass control, and is much easier to maintain. IMO.
However, the L2 does not have the massive image size of the MP-1, nor the
slightly warm tonality of the MP-1 (which I was frankly unaware of until I
purchased the Lamm L2 and compared the two). There's always a trade-off.
I'd be curious to hear the Lamm L2 Reference with Atma-Sphere amps. On
paper, the impedance match looks good.