Preamps for Atma-Sphere OTL Amplifiers

For what it's worth, there's a review at 6 moons that liked the MA-1's with a Shindo pre.

I can't possibly imagine a better pre than an Atma-Sphere MP-1 or MP-3. I just went from a REF1 to an MP3 with my M60MkIII's. The switch was a revelation. You don't mention what options your Atma-Sphere gear has. If you don't have the Teflon coupling caps in both along with the regulator option in the MP-3, you might be better off with those upgrades for a sonic improvement. I should also mention that ultra low noise perfectly matched 12AU7's in the MP-3 along with low noise matched 6SN7's in V1 & V2 in the M60's will make an enormous improvement.

Mrderrick brings up a good point about the state of your amplifiers. I had my MA-1s upgraded with the Caddock resistors and output resistors, and it was a significant improvement. More natural sounding, less harsh. If you are looking to change to get a remote, Ralph has been talking about adding a remote capability to his top pre-amp (is that the MP3 or MP1?). It is a motorized device that will turn the knob. I saw a photo of it at a show someplace, maybe in the CES photos here. It looks like a Geneva wheel and motor mechanism, set up a bit like an old English grandfather clock between heavy plates. I don't have a lot of experinece with pre-amps and the Atmas. I haven't tried the Atma pres. The best I've heard in my system so far is the Pass X1, although I've been running a Wadia direct, which I preferred to any of the preamps I tried.

I have an S-30MkIII which is partnered with a Bent Audio remote control TVC. The combination is stunning with clarity, dynamics and imaging the best I have experienced.

However, the Atma's need a lot of voltage (4v I think) to achieve their full rated output so need very careful matching. My speakers are Avantgarde Duo Omegas which are 108dB/w efficient. I therefore don't have any problem with gain as I only require 1 or 2 watts.

In fact this combination works better in my system than the Atma MP-3 pre which gave so much gain that I had to remove 2 of the tubes and insert blanking plugs to reduce the gain. Even then I could only use a small rotation of the volume dial!

I have been employing an Aesthetix Calypso and Rhea with my MA-1 Silvers now for just short of four years and find them delightful. The detail, air, and greater level of volume control are all advantages of this choice. Atma-Sphere has more and better bass in my opinion with both the MP-3 and MP-1 than that of the Aesthetix but, that said, I have what I do based on priorities. The Aesthetix are fully balanced and offer single ended input as well for each input/output and a remote control, which is handy. They match exceptionally with Ralph's fine OTL's.

Happy Listening!