Preamp Deal of the Century

Rayhall,

I will love to hear this shootout!! how about the shootout between CAT and presence for the first round?
thanks

Hey Tim,

I'd prefer a one-round fight with all contenders in the ring slugging it out in the middle of the ring together, or dueling in the same corral, as I am mixing metaphors. Can anyone else supply some of the other preten..., uhhh contenders and the venue? If you want to know how the First Sound sounds vs. the CAT, Tim, I'll email you separately. Don't want to color anyone else's opinion here.

Based on this thread recommendations I rolled the stock tubes to Tung Sol 6L6WGB ( 5881 ) and Ken Rad Black 6SN7 V231.
This change made a HUGE improvement and brought the performance closer to my expectations of the sound of a high-end pre. Prior to the change the presentation was "thin". This is difficult to describe but I noticed the lack of "depth" immediatly, and actually thought about selling it, but decided to give it a fair trial with improved tubes.

I have compared to the ARC REF 1 , ARC REF2 MkII, Hoveland HP1000, and the new MacIntosh. PRior to the tube rolling, I would not have placed the SYRAH in the same class as these great preamps, however after the tube upgrade the presentation moved into the same league. Each of these preamps has a unique sound and quite a different soundstage presentaton, so difficult to say one is better than another.

The Syrah's dynamics are outstanding, clarity is excellent, but the soudstage is much further back than one might expect from typiucal tube preamps. The phono is especially nice.

I have Air Tight ATM3 mono amps and Genesis speakers. These amps do reflect each component upstream, and I was surprised and how different each of the preamps sound, especially in soundstage presentation. So for the price, the Syrah is an outstanding value. The weakness on mine is specific to the selector control being very difficult to rotate. Anyone have a suggestion on how to improve the selector movement??

Rayhall,

Yes, please e mail me. I have used presence audio 2.0 MKII for a while with my Symphonic Line, but I always wonder how Cat compare with it?
The Syrah remain a mystery for me? I have no way of hearing it!!
thanks

A side note to Rayhall/Timchens exchanges: I have heard the CAT/Symphonic Line combo & it's nothing short of outstanding. Judging by the consensus on how the Syrah sounds in different systems, it could be similar in many ways to a CAT (but that's just deductive logic on my part...)