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Need preamp recommendation

Well, the quest for the tube rolling didn't go anywhere after a quick phone call to a tube vendor who advised me that low noise tubes won't lower the background noise of the preamp. Unfortunately I need to replace my VTL TL-5.5 to something else with lower noise floor.

The new preamp must have very low noise. My amps have about 25dB of gain, and my speakers are 93dB sensitive. It can reveal small amount of idle noise too well, which was undetectable with the same speakers but with power amp of 15dB of gain. Also the new preamp must have low / no gain, or adjustable gain. My VTL has additional 20dB of gain, and it's just too loud.

Some of the preamps that piqued my interests are Aesthetix Calypso, Placette, and Sonic Euphoria. I've read some earlier models of Calypso suffered from noise issue. I'd like to hear from the owners with sensitive speakers and high gain amps if there is any noise issue.

I'd love to try the new TL-5.5 which was long announced, but I don't think it's shipping yet. Anyone from VTL reading this board?

Any other low noise preamp that I should consider? I'd like the tubes, but as tube gears have inherently higher noise floor I'll also consider solid states and passive designs. The budget is flexible, but I'd like to keep it under $3k. The new preamp will be driving Pass XA-30.5.
jylee
tvad
9,467 posts
 
All the preamps I mentioned produced hiss during moments when no music
was playing, that could be heard from a distance of 8 feet away on either
89dB or 93 dB speakers.

Best of luck in your search.
jylee OP
306 posts
 
I haven't had a pleasure to audition many tube gears, but from two that I have, VTL preamp and EAR phono stage, one produces enough noise to be heard 8ft away and the other does not. Maybe you and I have different definition of noise or hiss, or maybe your ears are more sensitive to hiss if you heard hiss from all the high end tube gears that you have listed far in the sitting distance.
tvad
9,467 posts
 
Maybe you and I have different definition of noise or
hiss, or maybe your ears are more sensitive to hiss if you heard hiss from all
the high end tube gears that you have listed far in the sitting distance.
Jylee (System | Answers)

You have grasped the concept I wrote about in the beginning of this thread.

I have no problems with a minor amount of hiss during moments when no
music is playing, as long as the signal to noise ratio during music playback is
negligible. In other words, IMO, if you can't hear the hiss during the music
and if the music sounds good, then the hiss doesn't matter.

I suspect you are more sensitive to hiss than I, since you have stated that
*any* noise heard at a distance of 8 feet from the speakers translates to a
"broken" component.

When you find the tube preamp that suits you, please report back about the
model you selected.
mitch2
1,911 posts
 
My listening chair is 9 feet from the plane of my speakers. From the chair, I can hear no hiss, hum, buzz or anything from my system which includes the Lamm LL2 Deluxe, especially when the music begins playing. I can hear a very slight tube hiss within about 3-4 feet of my 90dB speakers, but that is of no consequence to me because of how good the Lamm gear sounds. With your higher efficiency speakers, you may hear that tube hiss further out. Therefore, if the noise level is of high importance to you, I again recommend you consider trying the Tom Evans preamp with Pulse (be sure to get a Lithos 7 model). I have owned two of these and with either I could hear nothing at all from my speakers outside of about one foot away.....nothing except when music was playing. So, if quietness is of major importance to you, I can make no better recommendation of the preamps I have owned than the Tom Evans. They have body, fullness, and a natural sound that frequently eludes SS preamps. While there may be other SS preamps that meet your needs, I have not heard them. If you get a chance to audition, try the TE Lithos 7, Vibe with Pulse.
jylee OP
306 posts
 
Mitch2, I'm not much of a noise freak as it may have sounded after the lengthy exchanges with Tvad. :) I just don't want my system to produce unpleasant noise all the time. I'm sure many other feel the same way about their systems as well.

The example you provided in your system is actually an encouragement. It looks like your Lamm amps provide very high gain, about 32dB. With 90dB sensitive speakers your setup reveals more background noise, if any, than mine. Although my speakers are slightly more sensitive, my amps provide less gain at 25dB than yours. If you can't hear hiss 4 ft away in your system, I probably can't hear any hiss at 8 ft away in my system. Thanks for the additional detail.
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