Preamp Recommendations?

im looking for suggestions on good preamps. Im running a set of audiolab 8000M's at the moment, and will run them for a while while i sort out a few other things, as they are really surprisingly competent amplifiers.

However i need to find a preamp to use with them.

Have discounted the 8000Q, as i used to own one, and simply didnt find it that good.

I would love a bel canto pre3, but refuse to pay the new retail price, and used examples are few and far between. I will keep looking but could use a few other ideas.

Price range is better at the good side of £1000, i dont care if its new or used. The ability to work fully balanced would be an advantage as well.

my preamp experience is sadly limited to, 8000Q, cyrus preX, pre3, croft vitale SC

any ideas would be appreciated.

 

I can, from personal experience, recommend two; Tom Evan's Vibe preamp (though it doesn't do balanced) and the Music First passive preamp, which does have balanced inputs and outputs. The former is out of your range new, but could be had s/h for under £1k, while the Music First can probably be got for about
£1k new and a lot less s/h. But personal taste is the deciding factor here. Both are on the 'spartan' side both aesthetically and in terms of features.

 

how do they differ sonically.. i have heard rumour that the music first pre's lack a little in the bottom end authority stakes. That and i think i would have a hard time justifying to myself £1000 on a passive preamp.

 

Why don't you try one and make your own mind up. At the Music First Factory we had a problem with too much Bass! So I would hate to think what would have happend if we used an active pre.

 

interesting

what of this promitheus preamp that i heard some news of a while ago. Is it worth having a play with.

Not sure i could live without remote control though, but maybe

 

I took the reference pre over to a Hif Journo who has a couple of TVC's and we did have a little shoot out..... It was the first time I had heard the Prometheus and it wasn't horrible but I didn't come away with my tail between my legs either.

Go on have a listen for yourself. I do know that TVC's do work well with Bel Canto as thats whats used in the factory.

 

im planning to eventually get either a pair of ref1000's or the acoustic reality 1001ref's (if i can finally work out if they really are the same)

so would need to be a preamp that will work well with these.

I have to admit to you, that a big part of me would prefer a remote control and such features as a home theatre bypass mode. But i do understand that good preamps that do these things well are not cheap.

 

NAD S100 if you can find one.

 

for what reasons... e.g. why do you recommend this amp in particular... what are its strengths etc.

cant just splurt out a name and not explain a bit more

 

Because it's built with fantastic attention to detail. All Class A solid-state circuitry - very low distortion. Remote controlled, relay switched inputs, XLR balanced outs in addition to two sets of unbalanced outs, 5 inputs, 2 tape loops. An underrated gem of a pre-amp, largely overlooked because of its badge.

 

sounds nice.. would have prefered balanced inputs as well though, but will add it to the list

 

Isn"t the Ref. TVC around $15,000US? The Promitheus around $400US. Not a very fair comparison. Was the Promitheus at least the dual mono dual box version.
When I did use the Promitheus[ back to Loesch & Weisner active] we compared it to the Music First in 3 systems. It was very close. A real tough call. More different than one being better than the other. Its a subjective call as it always is. The MF being a tad softer overall. No bass issues with either. Preferred the top end of the MF. Overall I would choose the MF. If budget was a concern the Promitheus would suffice until I could afford better.

rollo

 

how many 200 quid preamps you know that do that?

 

I'd sell your Dac and buy a reconditioned Audio Synthesis Dax Decade for around £1200 to act as a digital preamp.

You will be amazed I can assure you.

 

DAX decade DAC digital preamp is a good option you should consider

There is currently an advert on hififorsale.com from Audio Synthesis for reconditioned units There may still be balanced versions available.

DAX decade is popular on ZG

 

not interested in a digital preamp in any way im afraid. If i was gonna go that route, i would sell my dacX and get a bel canto dac3 and be just as happy with it.

I need to integrate vinyl and a home cinema setup, so digital pre's are of no use to me im afraid.

 

I should have made it a bit clearer. The comparison wasn't with the reference pre. That would have been unfair. The chap I saw already owned a standard MF pre.

 

I'd say the Tom Evans does soundstage better ie more 'forward' from the speakers, while the MF is better at digging out detail. The Tom Evans has a (very slightly) softer tonal balance than the MF, but it' s not a night and day difference

I've not noticed any lack of bass from the MF, though it's true I do use large, efficient floorstanding speakers so it's not having to try too hard.

 

A shame - it will compromise on sound quality at the price level you are talking of.

FWIW, the AS Decade would eat the Bel Canto for breakfast from my experience of the two. I've heard the former doing justice to truly high end systems.

I used to run a Sony digital pre with home cinema fed via an old mini disc recorder. But obviously vinyl needs something else if you have a decent TT - what is it?

 

i use a rega planar 2 with a denon cart. not exactly the upper eschelons of vinyl, but i have no wish to discard it, or the home cinema rig, which goes into an analogue input on my current amp.

ive heard the dax decade many times, but feel it would limit my systems upgrade potential in the future.

Also not sure i see the likes of a pre3 as a compromise, having spent a lot of time listening to one, i can safely say i cant imagine how much better a pre could be. Slotting it in place of the dac3 showed as far as i could hear, absolutely no loss in quality of any kind.

I guess it really depends how much you intend to get from a system. The dax decade is a great bit of kit, but not really the solution im aiming for.