2. amps-preamps
  3. 125715-1644

Are there used/mint balanced pre-amp with a few unblanced inputs under $2000??

Need recommendations for a used balanced pre-amp with approximately 3 balanced input  One for a CD player and another  for hooking up a fully balanced amp.  And, possibly, one additional balanced input  I don't need a processor HT loop, nor DAC input and output. I do need a remote, and a very good headphone feature would be great  Phone box or stage could be added. 

Unfortunately, many balanced or mixed balanced and unbalanced pre-amps or line stages offer multiple balanced inputs, and also  several RCA inputs and outputs

They usually lack remote, phone stage and headphone features.  The back of some look like a recording console and the front, a cuckoo clock.    Not for me!!.

I prefer simple and usable  features,  but outstanding sound quality. I have a BAT VK200 amp

I am NOT hopeful such a component is available. However, I have looked at the Copland CT305, Cary SLP202, and a few of the BAT pre-amps in a cursory search     Thank you  

   

sunnyjim
djohnson54
396 posts
 
@sunnyjim If you haven't made a choice yet, a VK-31SE just popped up for $2,100.  Dick
sunnyjim OP
927 posts
 

dpjohnson54,  Thanks,  Yes I saw the ad.  Take a look at the photo of the inside??  I think the insides look somewhat yellowish and aging. However,  It does have a remote, but no phono.  .

Nevertheless, I am also considering CJ  ET3 that was  recently listed on AG,  and includes an extra set of tubes, but only a remote. However,  it  has all RCA connections. A few reviews claim the SE version sounds better. I waiting to here from CJ what those upgrades cost. Knowing CJ's tendency to inflate pricing, I am sure the upgrades will be out of my financial reach. It also has no phono. 

*****BTW, the ET3 spec sheet claims a 25 db gain. Does that mean it will be loud even at the lowest volume setting, possibly the consequence of  connecting it up to the BAT VK-200 amp, and also result in wide swings in volume using the remote control??   Thanks to all. .  

djohnson54
396 posts
 
@sunnyjim Sorry, I forgot about the requirement for phono.  The last one went so fast I wanted to alert you before this one went too.  The yellowish cast could be the result of the lighting - the photography skills of many sellers are not the best (certainly not up to Albert Porter's standards!) - but this preamp would be several years old at this point.  A quick internet search didn't reveal the gain for the VK-31SE, which should be a match for your VK-200 and could be used for comparison, so I can't comment on the ET3.  Dick
sunnyjim OP
927 posts
 

To djohnson54. Thank you for the reply and info.  A new BAT candidate is in the race, the VK-20r pre-amp listed on AG.  I have found only one review on it.

Therefore, do you ( or anyone) know where it might stand in the BAT pecking order of pre-amps??  It has both a remote and phono stage, but the seller does not know if it is MM or MC, though the former owner used a Transcendence Axiss low output moving coil.  

So if anyone has personal knowledge of the VK-20r pre-amp's performance and sound quality, please let me know.   Thank you. 

djohnson54
396 posts
 
@sunnyjim Not sure about the pecking order but (and you may know this already) the VK-20/40 series are BAT's solid state preamps.  That said, the VK-20 is probably in the same performance range as the VK-3i/VK-30 although I've never heard the VK-20.  The only thing I could find on the BAT phono cards comes from a review of the VK-3iX so take this with a grain of salt - "Options for the VK-3iX include a solid-state phono preamplifier that is factory set for moving magnet (MM) or moving coil (MC) phono cartridges."

Dick
More to discover