EAR 864 - comparable preamps?

I've been listening to the EAR 864 preamp lately and liking it. I'm not entirely convinced by big orchestral pieces (or indeed mid-sized chamber music), which sound a bit forced and unpleasant, but everything else sounds great. In terms of absolute "hifi" quality it's about on a par with the old Krell KSP 7B I've got on home dem, which is a very nice preamp, though with a more recessed sound than the EAR, a grainer, less silky sweet treble, and generally a bit less fun.

If it weren't for this business of the orchestral and chamber music sounding a bit "wrong", and a bit of a perceived metallic "sheen" over the upper mids/treble, I would've fallen in love with the 864 and be saving up for it now... I am to some extent - with vinyl it sounded absolutely wonderful and I may be willing to overlook its faults and buy it anyway, but I'm also wondering if there isn't anything else out there to try that might give me the qualities of the 864 without the drawbacks...

So, what else would you recommend on a par with the EAR 864? I want to stay in the price range, though if you know of something cheaper for the same quality, I'm all up for that! At the moment my plan is to save up for the 864 for the next couple of months, and to go for it if I haven't found anything better by the time I have the money..!

Cheers,

Dunc

 

834L has a very similar sound to 864 for a fraction of price, especially the black version which is about £650.00
(EAR 864 is basically EAR 834L + phono preamp EAR 834P, with XLR outputs.)

 

And btw 834L did sound a bit forced initially, but it went away in several weeks, I do not know whether the preamp broke in or simply I have adapted to the sound. Anyway, I have sold my Bryston preamp and have never regretted it.

 

I'd reccomend trying all sorts DB.

I've been playing with all sorts of pre's this week - Transformer based Music First, a stepped attenuator passive pre..

The Music First is ok, and I think is 'different'. I prefer my valve pre-amp by quite a margin, but its certainly one to demo.

The glasshouse passive pre (£200 in kit form!!) was just as good, but with a different presentation - more foot tapping, less soundstage. For the difference in price if I were picking a passive between the two it would have been a no-brainer. (www.hificollective.co.uk)

I would reccomend for valve pre's speaking to someone who is more up to date with the latest greatest models - like Kevin Scott at Definitive Audio for example.

I suspect Audio Note would be worth checking out for you.

Incidentally my own pre-amp is a 'consonance basie' in kit form from www.diyhifisupply.com, but has been modified quite a bit.

Cheers
Chris

 

Nomoretweaks, I have heard that about the 834L, but I'm not convinced... I tried one out on extended home dem a while back and though it was good, I didn't think it was as neutral and accurate as my [then preamp] ATC CA-2, or as fun and involving as the Audio Innovations L2 I was also demming - my sig should tell you which one I liked best of the three!

To my ears, both the EAR and the Krell are in a completely different league to the L2 in just about every way. In terms of clarity, resolution, dynamics, punch, tonal colour they're both quantum leaps ahead of the L2, which I thought was about on a par with the 834L at the time.

Bottleneck, I sadly have no abilities with a soldering iron whatsoever - let alone the kind of electrical knowledge required to put together a DIY kit...

I'm also wary of passive pres, as I use active ATCs with 5m of interconnect between them and the preamp... Aside from the long interconnect runs, they're also fairly insensitive and generally require a strong signal to go loud - I'm not sure my sources on their own would drive them hard enough, particularly my turntable setup... I'd love to try one, but they're pretty hard to find in the shops!

Dunc

 

Hi DB

I forgot you were in Edinburgh.

I lived there for about 3 years, 7 years ago.

Unless things have changed, decent hifi retailers (particularly of valve products) were a bit thin on the ground.

Audio Salon looks a good bet (in Glasgow).

http://www.audiosalon.co.uk/

Have you been there to try their pre-amps?

They also have a ''used shop'' section of their site.

In the used items they have a Cary valve pre, an Art Audio and a Pathos.

They would cetainly be worth a demo IMO.

 

Passives

Dunc, I've just got a Tx based passive, a factory built Django. My tuna, CDP and phono stage (EAR 834P) effortlessly drive the Django and 7.5Ms of balanced mogami 2549. I've even set the sensitivity of my speakers to -10dB!

Chris, Only OK, was it burnt in? Txs take a long time to burn in.

 

Hi,

Yes, the unit is the demo unit of the shop I have borrowed it from.

Like yourself I also have an EAR 834P - and mogami speaker cable

In short, yes I thought it was different but no better or worse than other pre-amps I've tried - and not the one I would have bought if all 3 pre's were of equal price.

I'd encourage anyone to try it though, it is sufficiently 'different' that it will appeal to some.

 

Chris, those kit pres from DIY Hifi Supply are starting to look tempting since I noticed the option to have it built for you! They do look like good value. How would you rate your Basie compared to other pres you've tried? Have you heard the Django? What are the mods you've had done to the Basie?

Cheers,
Dunc

 

Ahem (cough)
https://www.audio-forums.com/as-rediect/showthread.php?t=11553
home demo possible.

 

Hi Dunc

I prefered my own pre to the others I tried, which is why I'm keeping it. I could have had any of them, price differences werent a concern.

You may not like a Basie (mine or a more standard one), and it might not work for you. Our systems and rooms aren't the same, and of course our tastes may be very different.

I've had my valve amp building friend make more changes to it than I can even remember.

If you do decide to buy it without hearing, I'd reccomend getting the best resistor packages, capacitors, internal wiring, valves etc that they sell. You would only end up going back for them later and paying more.

For what its worth, I think we may have similar tastes, I used to have an Audio Innovations L pre amp like you and enjoyed it very much. I can't remember if it was an L1 or an L2.

Chris

 

Yup, I plan to do lots of home demming as I've discovered I have very particular tastes in terms of the overall sound of a component. Both the Krell and the EAR 864 are stunning pres and I should really be perfectly happy with either, but I'm far too particular for that!

The L1 is a cute little thing whereas the L2 is a huge wide monster - 50cm across (and won't fit in my hifi rack! )

I love the sound of it - very lively and enjoyable with great tonal colour (as opposed to the EAR 834L and my old ATC pre, which were both a bit grey) and a good dose of valve goodness in the top end and mids. But it is a bit muddy and thick-sounding, and a little bit lacking in punch and dynamics, certainly compared to the 864 and Krell.

Dunc

 

Ooh, excellent! You have PM.

Dunc