World's best Pre-amp for $10K and above?


Looking for the HOLY GRAIL in Audio? Here it is. I'm in my early sixties and retiring to my final system, which I was going to purchase during the past twelve months and decided to put on the brakes, and investigate whats out there as the most advanced engineered high end audio products for the money in the market place. As far as I'm concerned, the two top engineers in the world for the best Amp and Preamp at low prices are Bent Holter with Hegel Audio in Norway and Roger Sanders with Sanders Sound in Colorado. Why? The Hegel P-30 Pre-amp is a game changer, and will easily compete with Pre-amps at $30K and above. The FM Acoustics 268 Preamp that retails for $107K, uses a technology thats called "feedforward" instead of feedback.
Amps and Pre-amps since the early 80's have all used either global feedback, zero feedback or local feedback to filter out noise and lower distortion by sending and filtering the feedback current to filter capacitors or or an extra filter transformer. A small amount of voltage feedback occurs at the output stage in amps and preamps which goes back into the parts and boards causing noise and distortion which smears the quality of the music.The best Preamps in the world all have S/N noise ratios at 125 db's or above. The Hegel P-30 Preamp uses the same feedforward technology as FM Acoustics but is a more current design that Bent Holter calls "Sound Engine" patented technology that eliminates feedback which is why the P-30 Preamp has a S/N ratio of 132 db's, which has never been accomplished in high end audio with a Preamp costing $10K or below. The same applies to Roger Sanders Magtech amplifier which uses a patented linear voltage regulator that controls and regulates voltage with no excess voltage going back into the amp causing heat and distortion problems. The amp puts out 900 watts into 4ohms. Krell makes a pair of mono blocs that also use a similar voltage regulator. The amps are $100K a pair. HERES THE PERFECT SOLID STATE SYSTEM. A Hegel P-30 Preamp. A Sanders Magtech amp, A pair of Aerial Acoustics 7T speakers. The worlds finest SACD player, the Playback Designs MPS-5, designed by Andreas Koch, who invented SACD technology when he worked for Sony. He built the worlds first outboard DAC in 1982 and is legend in digital engineering. The MPS-5 is the most analog sounding player on the market which costs $17K. The Hegel P-30 is only $7500.00 and the Magtech amp is only $5K. The Aerials are $10K. Buy the solid core cables from Morrow Audio. They are low capacitance cables which matches up perfectly with these components. This combination sounds like the very best tube and solid state gear on the market. The whole system will cost about $42K but will sound as good as any system costing $200K. All of these products are game changers. If you want better looking cabinets and faceplates, then blow your money, but you will not get better performance for what this system has to offer. It is the HOLY GRAIL you are searching for and there is no better combination for the total cost of the system.
audiozen
08-24-12: Charles1dad
Jwm and Clio09,
I don`t see where anyone here has downplayed the importance of the circuit and its instrinsic quality. A good circuit is the foundation but its ultimate potential and performance can be hurt or aided by the choice of parts.a good circuit with good parts will out perform the same circuit with inferior parts.

No one is suggesting a high quality part will transform a poor circuit, that is`nt going to happen. The better quality parts should have less degradation to the purity of the signal is the only point.This seems intuitve to me.This is why changing tubes(output and small signal) and cable etc. all have audible effects despite the level of the circuit involved.Capacitors are no different and are likely more significant.
Regards,
Charles1dad (System | Threads | Answers | This Thread)
Well said Charles1dad ... exactly my point. I guess you lead them to the water but can't make them drink.
I borrowed a Hegel P30 to try in my system to compare with my VAC Ren Mk III preamp....connected into Statement VAC 450 stereo amp driving Magico S5.

As context, nothing I have had in my system before came close to the VAC preamp. I bought a Conrad Johnson GAT preamp (obviously more expensive than the VAC or the Hegel). The GAT was SOTA but was beat by the VAC -- GAT was not as open and harmonically accurate as the VAC.

So, getting the Hegel P30...I was ready for a similar experience...

But, to my surprise...the P30 is awesome and holds it own easily with the VAC. It is dynamic, clear, coherent, musical, and lets more detail through without being analytical. My foot was tapping - always a good sign. I actually didn't have to listen as hard to hear details and ambient cues through the P30. It's transients are sharper and better defined. Timing is less sluggish than the VAC. What the VAC still has that nothing beats is harmonic richness, especially in the lower registers and with male voices. Today is the first day I realized this may be a romantic coloration versus accurate harmonic texture coming through. There was more energy in the lower registers of the VAC but it sounded a little smeared and condensed/constricted compared to the Hegel P30. So...this is the first preamp I have heard that I could live with and be as happy (and in some regards happier) as I am with my treasured VAC Ren Mk III. The P30 is an incredible preamp for the money. $7,500 and it easily beats the GAT I had in my system. Hands down to these ears.
@ tom6897,If you are still around,for what it is worth,I agree with your post from 7-28-12,well said!
I didn't roll tubes in my VAC Ren Mk III. Speaking with VAC, the signature preamp is good with rolling tubes, not so much in the Renaissance.