2. amps-preamps
  3. 125863-85386

Replace C28 with... ?

In my previous thread regarding a power amp, some of you commented that replacing the McIntosh C28 preamp would make a huge difference. However, what was missing was any elaboration how why you made the recommendation, and with what to replace it.

So, let’s get down to it.
McIntosh C28
HiFiBerry DAC+ Pro (Yes, I know... sacrilege, but it’s all I’ve got for now)
Bryston 4BST
Dahlquist DQ10
Polk PSW650 sub

Need guidance from you guys on whether I ought to be looking at SS, Tube or even a Passive unit. Since I have some skill with a soldering iron, I'm not above entertaining the idea of a kit.

I’ve seen the Tortuga LDRx and that concept looks pretty interesting. My worry is that the DQ10s can be a bit aggressive on the high end with that ribbon tweeter, so I’d like to hear your thoughts.

Thanks again in advance!
parabolic
parabolic OP
106 posts
 
Not happy with my current SAE A202 amp - lacks staging depth, imaging is sometimes confused, it's a little thin, and not quite as musical as I'd hope.  Though it drives the DQ10s well enough, I think there's room for improvement, hence identifying it as the weak link in the system and replacing it with the 4BST. See my post here:
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/another-which-amp-question

I listen to a wide variety of source material, mostly Jazz, Classical, traditional Rock and some pop, so I'm more or less all over the map.

Here are a few I have on the radar, in no specific order of preference, but need input from you guys who have more experience based on my equipment since I don't know what characteristics or advantages each may have over my C28:

Cary SLP-50
Threshold FET1
Krell KSL
BAT VK3
Conrad Johnson PV14L
McCormack Deluxe Line Drive
Tortuga LDRx

Other 'non-mainstream' suggestions have been:
Bottlehead
Prometheus TVC Reference


yogiboy's avatar
yogiboy
5,647 posts
 
I looked at your other thread. Did you get the Bryston yet?
parabolic OP
106 posts
 
It’ll be here tomorrow. I’ll probably be sitting on the steps waiting for the UPS truck to pull up.

Another question to add to the list, is whether I ought to be looking for a Preamp with balanced outputs, since the amp supports that.
yogiboy's avatar
yogiboy
5,647 posts
 
Why don't you wait and hook the C28 up? You just might like what you have now. Don't put the cart before horse!
auxinput
2,920 posts
 

Do you have plans on your future DAC? If you are just using the HiFiBerry as DAC, it may be extremely challenging to plan the proper preamp. In my experience, a preamp is just another tool in shaping the sound from the source.

You went towards a Bryston preamp. This is definitely on solid state side (no Class A, no tube). You are going to want to put some sort of tube or Class A device in your originating equipment. Your HiFi Berry is probably going to put out very weak sound - there is really no power supply capability in this - I think everything runs off USB power or similar. There is no beefy power supply to push bass/midbass weight or punch. I would suspect the sound is very thin. A powerful preamp may help translate more bass, but it will not change the source waveforms much. The type of DAC may influence the type of preamp you’re after. For the HiFi berry or a different solid-state type DAC, I might look at the BAT preamps because of bass translation (BAT is very good at bass). If you are getting a tube DAC, I would lean towards a very solid state preamp - like a Krell or even a Wyred 4 Sound STP-SE (which is almost like a passive preamp with gain voltage).

Most of your suggested preamps are seriously old school. The Krell is from 1992. Most of this stuff will have to be re-capped (electrolytic caps) for them to perform well. From the list, I would probably pick the Conrad Johnson just because of age. Though, if you tried to find a Krell KRC-3 or KRC-HR and then re-cap, that might be extremely nice.

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