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Recommendation from dCS gear owners

I have all dCS gear (Verdi->Purcell->Delius) I was thinking of adding a preamp, the Delius is directly driving my Sonic Frontiers Power 3 mono tube amps that drive Genesis 350. I need the preamp so I can integrate my HT. Currently I have to switch cables back and forth. My question here is, if I go for a reference level preamp like ML 32, Pass X-02, AR REF 2, or BAT VK-51SE would I get any improvements? of course I would have to add another set of interconnects on the way but assume that I will also use reference quality cables. I would like to here from those who have similar gear and did comparison with and without preamp.
thanks
p.s. I live overseas and doing such comparison myself will be very costly.
myoussif
myoussif OP
81 posts
 
well, thank you guys, I guess one more thing that I should also mention, the cable run from the preamp to the amp is 30ft I am ucrrently using Transparent XL balanced. now the question which preamp would function better in this set up? i.e. long IC and tupe amp at the end? all cabling are XLR by the way.
thomasheisig
568 posts
 
I did try that, to connect my DAC directly to the M-60's and my Pass amps.
The result is much worse than using a high quality preamp between. My digital combo is adjustable in every area ( DCS units ). The ONLY sound best when their digital volume is full open !
Otherwise you loose information!!
I did the same with a Wadia 860. Definetly same result. When someone uses digital directly to amps and says it is super, then he has no idea what will sound really good or he used a average preamp before, which was nothing special.

The best way is to go for a preamp with gain controls. Then you have the best from both worlds.

Just a recommendation.
jfrech's avatar
jfrech
1,816 posts
 
I'm using my bat vk50se with a 25ft run of Trans Ref xl xlr's to the bat vk75se. Works great for me. I also have had it with just 1 meter of the Trans ref xf between amp and pre. No diff on the 25ft run.

KF...I have no exper w/ digital preamps other than what's built into Wadia and DCS. If it's a digital volume control, my guess is it's going to suffer the same fate. I know Mark Levinson uses analog volume controls in their cd/dac players for this reason.
fchurtic
25 posts
 
Interestingly, I disagree. I run my dcs delius direct to my amplifier (ML 335) and the sound is a as lively as with a ML 32 pre-amp. Remember, you're adding components in the signal path. The delius has a v good preout board and this is the same that it is used when going through a preamp. Sometimes lack detail is confused with "bloom" and similar terms.
pls1
432 posts
 
I have modified Melos Monoblocks that I drive directly with my dCS Elgar/972. I've tried various mfg's "reference" preamps and the only thing that I thought was added was cost. However, the Melos are high input impedance which makes them easy to drive without a preamp and I added a very high quality stepped attenuator in the Melos so that for any serious listening I have the digital volume control at full out.
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