Ck out the Cary Slp 05 with some vintage NOS tubes. Sylvania 6sn7 W circa early 1940s ot if you can find them, Tung Sol Black Plates. Very natural sound! Quiet, quick, very musical.
Best Tubed Preamp For A Warm, Rich Sound, Yet Still Detailed and Agile
As the title says, I am looking for an exceptional preamp (obviously tubed) with warmth and liquidity, some of that golden glow, in the midrange and highs. I do not want slowness, or lack of detail, however. My budget is up to $6,000.00, for a used model.
Based on my research, many of those that might make the list are very rare to find, and other recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Based on my research, many of those that might make the list are very rare to find, and other recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
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- 74 posts total
You may look down your nose, but I got rid of an Ayon pre and kept an Audible Illusions Modulus 3a. It's very liquid, transparent, detailed etc. and you can get one for $2K or less. It's driving an MC275 VI (two mono), Maggie 1.7s and a Hsu uls15 mk II and I'm often startled by the presence, detail and timbre of jazz music, especially vocals. |
In my 45 year of searching for SQ improvement, I personally recommend Don Sachs preamp, which you can obtain for under $2K. It is based on 6SN7 tubes and it is much more revealing and detailed than the Modwright preamp that it replaced, which itself was outstanding. Check out the Forum for my review of it and comments of other owners. Here is Don Sachs' website: http://www.dsachsconsulting.com/custom%20line%20stage.html BTW, anybody that uses 6SN7 tubes in their gear that hasn't tried the Shuguang Treasure CV181-Z tubes is not hearing all that their equipment is capable of rendering. To my ears, and those of Don Sachs, they better all the NOS tubes around, save for the uber pricey ones. They are robust and appear to have some longevity. Try them and I am sure you will agree. |
- 74 posts total