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Preamp Quandary - sonics vs. ergonomics??

I have been auditioning (buying and selling) preamps for over a year now. My only absolute criteria is that the preamp must be a fully balanced design that has low enough output impedance to effectively drive my McCormack DNA 500 amp (10K input impedance). However, since my system is in the living room, there are some ergonomic considerations including the potential for other users. After trying several, I currently have two pretty good but different preamps, an Atma-Sphere MP3 that is maxed out with teflon caps, regulated power upgrade, caddock resistor package, and user-applied 3M constrained layer damping sheets. It also has Jensen transformers for phono that I do not use. My other preamp is an Ayre K-5xe which is an outstanding ergonomic match with my CX-7e source. The comparisons are;

Ayre K-5xe - very user friendly, stays on all the time, uses the same remote as my CX-7e source, no heat issues, dead quiet, smooth sounding with tight punchy bass and adequate decay for a SS unit, no turn-on/off issues, heat, DC worries or other tube related concerns. In other words a competant performer which is the perfect operational match for my situation.

Atma-Sphere MP3; deep bass, dynamics that you can feel in your chest, well-extended for a tube unit and has that "rightness" only tubes seem to be able to provide, outstanding 3-dimensionality, and an outstanding midrange that puts the performers in the room with you. In short, this is the best sounding preamp I have heard in my system, but not the easiest to use.

Have any of you made a similar choice, and did you have any regrets?
mitch2
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
12-17-06: Tvad
Have you considered a VAC preamp...like a VAC Renaissance or Renaissance Signature? Talk about a company that's at the top of the customer service heap. The VAC preamps are balanced, have phono, and remotes.

Well I have had terrible luck with the 2 VAC components that I have owned. I'll spare the details as it is not relevent to this thread.
I will point out though that the VAC preamps are not true balanced designs. They have balanced inputs and outputs, but only by using input transformers that shunt the negative leg to ground. Essentially they are single ended preamps that convert the signal at the rear panel. Quasi-balanced if you will. You could get similar performance by using Cardas XLR/RCA adapters on any single ended preamp.

The VAC's are not true balanced preamps like the Atma-Sphere and Ayre that Mitch already owns.

John
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jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
12-17-06: Tvad
Sometimes I don't think true balanced is all it's cracked up to be.

I can certainly agree with that statement. That goes back the the original quandry. Many owners of SE sources and SE amps look for a SE preamp as a qualifier. Most owners of balanced sources and amps will have balanced as one of their preamp qualifiers. Again, balanced/unbalanced has nothing to do with quality of sound, but it can be a requirement to a owner during component searches, just like remote options, impedence characteristics, tube/ss, etc.
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