Looking for Tuner/Preamp combo


Hi,

For a second system that will send sound throughout the house.

My criteria are: 1. Cheap (under $500 new or used), and 2. full-function remote.

I've considered the Adcom GTP-502 or GTP-506 (latter is not cheap enough unless I get lucky) and the B&K PT3. Does anyone have experience with these?

Are there other units available that I can consider?

I do see a lot of older AV pre-amps for sale cheap (local dealer has a Nakamichi and a Rotel RTC-970 on sale for $200 and $300 respectively), because that stuff gets outdated so fast. Will all those extra features get in the way of a music-only system?

Thanks!

- Eric
ehart
I have a Harmon Kardon Citation preamp and tuner (the model numbers are 21, 23, or 25...I forget which and I'm at work). The preamp is remote controlled and has a ton of useful features. It's not the MOST transparent (compared to my Pass), but it does sound good and it's very well made (it was around $900 new in the early 90s). The tuner is also very well made and it sounds great. Both units stacked are probably the same height as one normal preamp (5"-6" high). I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be selling them, but I haven't done any pricing yet. Let me know if you're interested and I can give you more details.

With the exception of the above, I haven't had any experience with other pre/tuner combos in that price range.
Hi Eric,

I have owned an NAD 1600 preamp/tuner combo. I enjoyed it very much. Not much for sound stage compared to a good stand alone preamp, but very good tone. Comes with a remote. Matches NAD monitor series amplifiers and receivers for cosmetics.

Regards,
Paul
Someone here recommended a Hafler 945 to me, so I went out and found one. Its a remote controlled preamp/tuner that delivers great sound, has defeatable tone controls and costs about $200 used. I would recommend you find one of these, but the only thing is that there is only 1 set of outputs so if you are feeding many amplifiers you may need to think about it a little. Good luck.