Tubed Pre match with a Spectron Musician IIISE?

I've been using the Promitheus Reference C-core TVC since I got my first Musician III SE. I'm using all balanced interconnects throughout the system.

It's quite puzzling to me that something so affordable could sound so good. It simply lets the signal from the source get to the amps without adding anything, and most importantly, without removing anything.

This TVC is completely quiet using the balanced interconnects. I've been trying all along to find any area that it may be compromising, but to these ears it gets most of the things right. It doesn't have the mid-range magic that tubes provide, but it's close to it. And it does this while maintaining deep, controlled, fast, and articulate bass. The highs are crystal clear without being edgy or mechanical. The sound is simply completely clean from top to bottom.

I tried this TVC with single ended interconnects and it was picking up some hum if I set the volume almost all the way up without music playing. This disappeared entirely when I switched to balanced interconnects.

The one major requirement for this TVC to work is that you need to have enough gain in the system. Without enough gain, it might not do what it's supposed to do.

I have two preamps I hasve used with my Musician III Mark 2. My Bent TAP sounds great with it, but the perfect match in my system is my main preamp, the dual mono Modwright LS 36.5 2 box. Although beyond our budget, the one box LS 36.5 can be found for only $500-$750 or so more than your budget.

Tedmbrady,

I've been curious lately about the M3 MK2 & MW LS 36.5 2-box combo, due to the fact that the MW specs are quite impressive and comments from users seem to back it up.

I've gotten too used to the quietness of the Promitheus Reference C-core TVC and I've been checking for active preamps that could be as quiet as the TVC and are able to render laser sharp images without sounding lite.

I was wondering if you have any more comments about the M3 MK2 & MW LS 36.5 2-box combo that you can share with us.

Tedmbrady, I am also looking for a new pre-amp for my new Musician III Mark 2. Been looking at BAT (mainly because Simon of Spectron likes them), the Cary SLP 05 because I have read good things and the dual mono Modwright LS 36.5 because there are other Spectron users out there that like them. I am looking for that perfect synergy between pre-amp and amp. You think the Modwright has it?

All I can say is that altough the Bent TAP, a tremendous passive TVC-based pre, sounds great with the Mark 2, the LS 36.5 does nothing but add realism and tonality to take the combo from great to nearly perfect. If you've read the reviews and feedback the LS 36.5 is dead quiet, let alone the fact that it's tubes. It loses nothing here to the basically nonexistent Bent TAP "noise". The synergy with the slightly warmside-of-neutral Spectron is beyond waht I would have expected. I am amazed each time I turn on the combo...really. Why I want to go monoblock with the Spectron is purely dedcadence, I guess. I'm assuming I'll not fix what clearly ain't broken!! :)

All this being said, I can't comment on the other pres in this list cuz i haven't heard them in this setup...just the FYI that the 36.5 is basically as quiet as a passive, with all the magic of Dan's incredible tube section.

Ted