I’m new to this hi-fi world and wow wow wow it is so exciting. Been nerding out big time in these forums and am happy to be a part of this now.
I got Heresy IV’s, a McIntosh MC352, a Project S Box and a $50 amazon dilvpoetry preamp. I spent nearly all of the money I have right now besides about $1,300 I saved for a preamp.
I definitely want a tube preamp, and am looking most closely at the Audio Research LS7 and the Schitt Freya +. Honestly even with the $50 preamp I’m still totally floored every time I turn the system on and do not think I have had a single conversation with anyone in the past couple weeks that did not at some point turn to how dope the hi-fi world is.
What are your thoughts on the lower end Audio Research amps? I’m a bit nervous they’ll hum, that I’ll need to spend a lot of time and money repairing them, and that they probably won’t work so well when I use my system to play movies, which I will certainly do at times.
What do you think? Are there other preamps I should be looking at? Thanks so much for your time
The input impedance of your MC352 is listed at: 20k ohms Unbalanced, and 40k ohms Balanced. That’s fairly low which means a fair amount of tube preamps will not match well,,, impedance-wise. The general rule of thumb is that the input impedance of the amp should be at least 10 times greater than the output impedance of your preamp.Up until this past year, I’ve lived with a tube pre and SS amp right at the 10 times range for over 35 years, with no problems. Exceed the 10 times rule of thumb and I’m told you will experience a moderate to very noticeable reduction in bass.
Anyone ever mess with the quicksilver full function preamplifier? Also should I be worrying about gain levels since the output on my McIntosh mc352 is so high? Would I want a preamp with low gain so I can still play music at low-ish volumes? Right now the Lowest possible volume I can go on this shitty Amazon pre-amp is still not that low
jasonbourne, which one of those preamps is your favorite or go to one? I am curious. I like buying something that is classic or proven back in the day and picking up on ebay when seller moves on to new stuff. Counterpoint is pretty interesting. I remember in the 80s how cool it was.
If you haven’t interacted with the people at The Music Room, you should check them out. Tons of used preamps and other gear that you can trial for 14 days at home. Not affiliated, just a regular customer. Tmraudio.com.
The Schiit Freya+ stereo preamplifier is without doubt a superb performer, Its three preamps in one. I use it with my solid state amps and tube amp and it sounds great. In my system the Freya+ is noise free. I can't comment on lower end Audio Research amps, I never owned one. You will not find a better tube preamp that is balanced and remote controlled with a 5-Year Warranty and Easy Return Policy, and you can purchase brand new for $950.00!
I have an SP6B preamp, a fine choice if you need a phono preamp too. If you don’t, I would go with the Schiit Freya+. My Schiit Saga is more resolving than my SP6B, although does not reproduce the illusion of depth as well. You should consider the Saga+ as well, it’s amazing for the price!
If you go for MM stage I would go for a tube stage, at MC almost impossible course of the multiply factor. MC with tubes you get loads of pink noise. If your handy diy buy a good kit. MM with 12AX7 Ecc83 or 5751bit lower Mu factor. There are very good schematics.
I run this Arcam SR 250 (msrp $3600) as a pre with a Parasound JC5 and it works great for a split system for movies and music. You get HDMI switching and digital/analog inputs as well as DIRAC room correction. Paired with a solid amp its a very musical combo.
Hi, I have a 200W Perreaux Integrated Amp driving some Shahinian Compass speakers, approx. 6 months ago I was considering a tube pre-amp and in particular whether to go for a 2nd hand Audio Research LS7 or a new Schiit Freya+. In the end I purchased the LS7 and rolled in some NOS tubes... I wasn't able to do a comparison but couldn't be happier with my decision :-)
Leaning towards the freya+ for sure. And then down the line once I save up some more money I’ll invest in one of the higher tier audio research preamps or something of the sorts. That way if that needs service or repair or whatever I’ll always have the Freya as the backup, reliable and still great preamp to hold me up
I’m a bit nervous they’ll hum, that I’ll need to spend a lot of time and money repairing them, and that they probably won’t work so well when I use my system to play movies, which I will certainly do at times.
Old (vintage) stereo, like old (vintage) automobiles generally need repair sooner than later. And if you are not mechanically inclined, you will have to rely upon someone else to fix it. There is nothing wrong with used. But be aware of the age of the piece. If it is 20 yrs old or older it most likely needs capacitors and a good cleaning. I have bought a lot of used equipment but 10 yr old equipment is my limit on age. As to the hum, that is usually caused by a ground loop and can happen with any system. Its more dependent on your electrical system. They are usually remedied with a little expense, often a 2 prong AC adapter. As for movies, there should be no difference except instead of having 5 channels, you have 2 channel stereo sound. Now if you are trying to incorporate a 2 channel stereo with a HT system, that is usually a bad idea. Been there and done that. Two channel HT is fine with me
thank you for your responses. definitely listening to vinyl but i have a project phono stage already. it would be between DAC, Video and Vinyl. right now my phono stage supports both mm and mc which I like because even though i'm using mm right now down the line I can see myself switching to mc (hopefully i start making more money lol). remote would be nice but not make or break for me.
illl take a look at all the amps you recommend. are they going to make a big difference compared to the $50 preamp im using now? does preamp affect soundstage too? thanks again
I also have three more tube preamps: a Dynaco PAS-3 (DKL Labs mod), a Counterpoint and a Trevor Lees. All under $1K apiece and from eBay. Any of these and the two above are easy recommendations!
What's the purpose of a preamp? Do you want remote volume control? Would a passive preamp work? It would allow you to switch sources and turn down the volume. Are you going to listen to vinyl? For that you would need a phone input. If you are going to vinyl what kind of cartridge moving coil, moving magnet.
You need to decide how many inputs you need,. What are the devices. If it's just a DAC and video you would be better off with a simple AB switch box.
Here"s what I have: Conrad Johnson PV-3 (four-tubes) and an Audio Research SP6 (six tubes). Both excellent preamps and not too expensive. $600 and $850 are the approximate prices I paid. They work fine! Bought on eBay.
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