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Most Flexible Audiophile Preamp

The Hovland Preamp HP-100 offers 7-8, depending on if you have the optional phono or not, line options. This I love since I have so many line sources including reel to reel, cassette, CD recorder, DVD recorder/player, VCR, tube and solid state tuners etc. I liked the flexibility of multiple deck dubbing of old but realize this is all but gone now. Most preamps lately are limited to only 3 to 5 sources other than the Home Theatre Preamps. To me the HT preamps provide access to crappy hollywood sources which to me is opposite to living a quality, questioning life. I like a few movies but do not want to be controlled by it. Controlled by throwing lots of money at it and making a room and my time a prisoner to that use. I do not want to dilute musical quality for a zillion video input/output options and fruitless attempts to keep up with zillion speaker output options. Something about this HT built in obsolescence stuff (never ending video/audio formats, HDTV options created while others abandoned) seems very irresponsible and true to the marketing makes the need in the USA mentality !

What are your choices for most musical flexible preamp? When replying if you can give the number of line inputs, recording options, and output options I am sure others will greatly appreciate this information. If the unit has a phono preamp built in what is your opinion of the quality of the phono preamp. Price for me can range up to $8000 new or used.
nanderson
kennyt's avatar
kennyt
1,226 posts
 
How about the Linn AV 5103. It was their reference level peice for years, until the klimax Control came out, has 10 analog inputs, sorry, no phono, 4 coax digital ins, one optical, two digital outs, multiple main outs (3 pairs) second zone, two tape loops, and a nice DTS/AC-3 system. The DAC's are nice, but do have a slight lag to lock onto the signal...say a second delay. These seem to go for ~$2K nowadays, and are a asteal at that if it fits your needs.
kennyt's avatar
kennyt
1,226 posts
 
BTW the 5103 also is designed to handle an outboard DAC as well, if you need it.
sutts
700 posts
 
SF Line 3 all the way...
larryi
3,973 posts
 
The most flexible and versatile linestages and preamps I've used are the Mark Levinson Ref. 32, BAT VK5se, VTL 7.5 and the big Boulder linestage and phono preamp. All of these are extremely easy to program and use. Each input can be programmed for sensitivity. All switching, setting of volume, balance, absolute polarity, mono/stereo, etc. can be done by remote control.

The Boulder is way outside your specified price range. The Levinson is also outside that range, but I understand that other models, like the 380S have similar programming functions.

My Ref. No. 32 has seven inputs, I believe two are balanced, and, I believe, two single-ended outputs and one balanced output. I have a built-in phono stage. By remote control, I can change the gain on the phonostage, relative output (to match other inputs), capacitive loading, resitive loading (something like 7 different settings) and channel balance. The only functional issue I have with the Levinson is that the remote volume control is a bit slow going up and down because it makes changes in .1 db increments. Personally, I think that this degree of control is not necessary, but, on the other hand, I can hear .2 db changes in channel balance (when listening to mono) even if a .2 db change in volume is not discernible.
michaelbr
7 posts
 
The McIntosh C2200 provides a lot of flexibility. 3 outputs, either balanced or unbalanced. 8 inputs, 4 of which can be balanced. One tape output. Phono input among the 8 inputs. I have not used the phono stage yet. It has gotten OK reviews -- "not as good as some but you can consider having gotten it for free" summarizes one I recall.
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