Check out this German beauty...it's a steal for their build quality and suits your budget perfectly
Audio Valve Eklipse Tube Preamp
Audio Valve Eklipse Tube Preamp
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.
Showing 9 responses by hotbird
You want to see the backside of the Audio Eklipse... Here is the grande view ;-) Back view of the Audio Eklipse Looks as good behind as it's in front. And according to Mike Wright, it beats the Conrad Johnson Act2 that costs 3 times with the correct NOS tubes. |
Forgot to add, more eye-candy close-ups of the Audiovalve Eklipse on the Korean online store below. http://www.sorishop.com/goods/209/items/g_9736.html |
The problem with small companies that's kind of run like a one-man show is that you do not have support reliability. Just check out their bad publicity on head-fi forum A complain I rather spend more money with established companies, who cares foreign, contacting them is just an email away with the advent of internet. As far as Audiovalve goes, they have existed for a long period and the Eklipse is a very mature design which was reviewed by Art Shapiro in the very 1st issue of Positive Feedback way back in 2002 http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue1/eklipse.htm Not only that, Audiovalve claims that the Eklipse is supposed to be the culmination of 15 years of preamp design http://www.audiovalve.de/eklipse/eklipsee.html So I guess in 2008, the current Audiovalve Eklipse is a 20-year old mature design ;-) And as far as german products go, this is supposed to be a steal. Check the price way back in 2002 and now, just attribute the price increase partly to US$ decline and you will know the quality/price factor is very high. |
Since you are using the Nuforce P9 already, moving to JR Capri is most probably a lateral move, high quality solid state pre-amp to another solid state preamp. You may be better off keeping the Nuforce P9 which ia already among the best SS preamp for the money, and I would to place my money on P9 if you do ever manage to compare it to a Capri ;-) |
I own the P9 Nuforce pre-amp, and do not currently own any Audiovalve equipment. But it may be the next pre-amp that I may upgrade to after perusal of Teajay's review whom I respect. And may I ask if the rest have vested interests in TRL, as I read on the head-fi forum that they have an odd following |
I live way over in South East Asia and don't consider it viable selling 230V equipment with expensive shipping in a US-targetted Audiogon, thus no feedback. Even then I do not change equipment that often like fashion, and most of the time I do trade-ins with my local dealers when I want to upgrade some stuff once in a blue moon. With regards to the "odd following" term I used, it was in context of those referred in that head-fi forum thread (check the posting there by someone called sejarzo). There are 2 sides to every story, but at the same time there's no smoke without fire. Anyway, if you can dig up any dirt on Audiovalve, let us know, as I think many would want to consider it as next upgrade after reading Teajay's review (plus Mike's on Stereotimes), so it's best to be forewarned and let the interested parties make the judgement ;-) |