Opportunity to buy the best Preamp... but which?

So- if there is no 'best', doesn't it seem that there are a lot of manufacturers *saying* they have the best? I agree they can't all be right :)

Seems to me also that this got covered in another thread.

But still I find myself wondering- if someone in fact had a genuine breakthrough in preamp technology, something that was so much better that it would be obvious to anyone in 5 seconds of listening, what would that look like? Would that be the best then? or is it still subject to the 'versions of vanilla' phenom?

This would appear to allow someone in my position to make all sorts of claims about gear that could not be quantified- or denied. And a manufacturer like say, Sony, for example, could make the identical claims on a preamp that is no-where near the same capability.

So I guess what I am saying is there is no integrity in throwing up one's collective hands and saying there is no 'best'. I think to handle the situation with integrity one would have to admit that there is the *possibility* that this or that preamp is the best, whereas in the same breath there will be other preamps that *cannot possibly* be best.

Would that be a more accurate statement?

06-28-07: Atmasphere
So- if there is no 'best', doesn't it seem that there are a lot of manufacturers *saying* they have the best? I agree they can't all be right :)

Seems to be an awful lot of pizza manufacturers saying 'You've tried all the rest, now try the best', no? They can't all be right can they? Anyone can make a claim, as no one owns the copyright to the word 'Best', AFAIK.
So go ahead and make the claim Ralph, maybe it'll even boost sales. ;^)

As for your last statement, I don't know. I'm sure somewhere there is a Sony preamp owner that feels his preamp is the best. I don't think it's safe to assume that you can find anything in audio that someone, somewhere won't claim is the 'best'. I think the word 'best' is really overused and meaningless at this point. Just like there is no one 'Best' man, only many different folks opinions of who the 'Best' man really is. 8-)

Cheers,
John

Cheers,
John

The absolute best preamp does not exist any more than the absolute sound does, with the exception of the magazine that owns that title. Too many variables interact to produce countless impressions and outcomes. With all of the colorations out there---especially those of every instrument and component---the most meaningful scenario of best comes in the form of a question: "What will constitute the best match for my system in terms of the kind of sound that satisfies me most ?" And that doesn't even come close to a definitive and/or collective notion of best.

Still in my opinion and after 50 years in this hobby starting out in tubes in 1957 and going solid state in 1977.And having worked in the music industry for 30 years I think I have a little knowledge in this area. The FM Acoustic brand is the pinnacle of the audio arts and has been so for some thirty years or more. All cutting edge studios world wide and artist alike own this gear and they would own nothing else. It is the most expensive audio gear on the planet, their client list is a literal whos who of the industry.

No I don't own it , cannot justify that expenditure at my age now. But I am familiar with FM Acoustics gear and I have heard it many times in studio settings as well as in private homes. FM Acoustics is nothing short of totally mesmerizing and a sonic signature that will leave you immersed in each note. Once you hear this gear, you will never forget the experience. Yes their is a best and it is FM Acoustics, nothing and I mean nothing else is even remotely close. But this type of excellence is not for the weak of heart, and for those of us that have to ask how much. If any the respondents to this thread get a chance to audition this gear or actually hear it in its own environment, do so at your own risk. For those of you that harbor the notion the best does not exits. Then you must keep that belief until you hear FM Acoustics.

The "best" is discernible in so far as one can reproduce music in the home that delivers the hallmarks of a live performance: Wide dynamic range, undistorted frequency extension, wide deep tall soundstaging, timbral accuracy (a viola sounds like a viola etc...). Instruments have certain identifiable sounds and sonic charachteristics, great halls portray instruments in a certain way...the best audio gear should allow one to enter the moment of creation and suspend belief! This is not ice cream, it is music and should be easily identified as such through a great hi-end system with as few limitations and or artifacts as possible...great gear can do this better than other conventional designs. FM acoustics sounds like a professional brand. It has been my experience that individuals "in the business" of making music are usually the worst judges of hi-fidelity equipment...counter-intuitive I know, but they seem to value aspects of sound re-creation that is askew of us mere mortals who savor their labors!