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Please suggest good balanced Preamp


I woould like to get your experiences with and recomendadtions for balanced preamp with XLR input/output and possiblly balanced design from input to output. Cost around $3500 or less (used or new) would be good. Less is better. My criterias are :
1. Extreme transparency.
2. Extreme low noise. S/N > 100 dB.
3. Phono is not required but I have no objection if it has phono.
4. Minimum one pair of XLR input and one pair of XLR outputs.
5. Remote will be good but I can compromise a remote for the quality of the preamp.
6. Tube (preferable) or SS

I tend to prefer tube preamp over SS, but very good SS pre is not out of question. I am too lazy in tube rolling business and like to stick to the stock tubes that comes with the pre from the manufacturer. I know, I will miss the best capability by not rolling tubes. But I don't want to fill up my house with tubes.

Few recomendadtions I have received are:
ARC Ref 3 (out of my price range)
Ayre K1xe (little over my budget even used)
Pass Labs XP10 (this may be within my budget if used)
McCormack VRE-1 ( model ??, have not seen in used market)
VTL 7.5 (way over my budget even used)
Atma Sphere MP-1 (also costly)
Asthetix Calypso (many complains very noisy, does not fit my criteria).

What can you suggest for an exceptional balanced tube preamp of similar caliber of preamps mentioned above within my budget ?
Thanks,
topmostaudio
nick778
147 posts
 
It isn't truly balanced end to end but I'd also consider the McIntosh C2300. I know you mention you don't like tube rolling but rolling the 2 linstage tubes to something like Amperex or Telefunken SP would bring out the best in this premap.

I've been very satisfied with mine and it is in the high end of your price range used. It has plenty of XLR inputs and 3 XLR pairs of outputs.
wireless200
415 posts
 
The Atma-Sphere preamps utilize a lot of tubes. When you detect a bad tube, tracking it one down is reasonably time consuming.

I owned an MP-1 preamp, and as great as it sounded, the tube maintenance involved was clearly going to be an issue for me, so I sold it.

Tvad, would you elaborate on this? The MP-1 has 18 tubes total. If you got a noisy channel, why not just swap tubes two at a time (between channels) until the bad tube is found? Nine swaps would be the maximum number. Then once the bad tube is is isolated, just order another matched pair?

Also when you say tube maintenance, are you talking about something beyond troubleshooting a bad tube? To me it seems tubes last a reasonable amount of time such that the gain in sound quality is worth a little maintenance every couple of years. OTOH, a full compliment of replacement tubes can be pricey and I understand the ongoing expense over the years is not nothing.

I recently bought a Cary 120S tube amp and I have to say, I get what the tube afficionados go on about. I like it enough that I'm thinking about moving up to Atmasphere. Still I do get that tubes are a bit more of a hassle, hence my inquiry.
tvad
9,467 posts
 
02-01-09: Wireless200
The MP-1 has 18 tubes total. If you got a noisy channel, why not just swap tubes two at a time (between channels) until the bad tube is found? Nine swaps would be the maximum number. Then once the bad tube is is isolated, just order another matched pair?

The MP-1 uses 10 6SN7 and 8 12AT7 tubes. The method you describe is correct. For me, that's a lot of tube maintenance and trouble shooting (remember, I owned one, so I've experienced it).

My situation was complicated by the fact that the MP-1 would have to be uninstalled and removed from my cabinet (and then reinstalled) every time I had to track down a bad tube.

It was a hassle. Everyone has their own level of maintenance they are willing to endure.

If someone is considering this preamp, I would suggest they place it on the top shelf of a rack where the top and sides are easily accessible with a screwdriver.

I still use tube equipment, but the gear I own is a bit shorter than the MP-1, and I can remove the top covers and replace tubes without having to remove most of the components from my cabinet. The MP-1 is too large to allow for this in my system.
wireless200
415 posts
 
Tvad, what tube equipment are you using now, in particular for the power amp? How does it compare to other brands you've used?
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
7,068 posts
 
FWIW, the line section of the MP-3 has 4 tubes. The MP-1 line section has 6 tubes. Either way, the tube warranty is for a year.

If you are one who is into swapping tubes, then I recommend you run the unit without the cover until you have sorted out which tubes you want in the unit, and use cables that are long enough to allow the chassis to be moved for easy access, thus avoiding Tvad's objections. Longer cables are not an issue with either preamp- the MP-3 can easily drive 50 feet so an extra foot or so behind the unit can guarantee easy access.

Both units, like any tube preamp, make some heat so we recommend (in the manual) that if the unit is in a cabinet, that there be at least 2" above it. This will also make it easier to deal with if you have to pull it out for a tube replacement. In either line section, the tubes are operated well below any of their maximums- we've seen tubes in the line section of the MP-1 go over 50,000 hours. We don't have good data like that on the MP-3, but we have seen the tubes in them last over 7 years with lots of use, so in a nutshell, the line sections don't eat tubes and don't have a reputation for it either.
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