2. amps-preamps
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Good tube preamp w/ HT bypass

I've finally decided to snag an AVM30 for my pre-pro, and aragon 8008 amps for my amplification (or Sherbourne 7/2100 - I bought both, and will sell whichever I like less).

However, I keep hearing about tubes! I don't have any experience with them, but I'd love to give it a try. I've read that by combining SS amplification with tube preamps, I can preserve the bass control of the SS w/ the midrange of tubes.

SO - are there any preamps you can recommend to me to try and/or demo? I need it to have HT bypass, so I can use my HT rig separately from this...

I've read the Rogue Magnum 66 is good... The audio research sp-16l is supposed to be good... And the TAD-150 was recommended to me (http://www.angelfire.com/biz/bizzyb/TAD-150.html) but I can't find any other information on it.

Non tube pres that have been recommended to me are the sonic euphoria plc and adcom 750; but i'm not sure if either would better the avm30.

Oh; budget would be $500-1000, used or new. Thanks for any recommendations!
kincade
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,685 posts
 
I just checked the schematics for the SF Line series and the HT bypass is a complete bypass: No active circuitry except for switching.

Kal
kincade OP
22 posts
 
Kal,

Wow, great! Thanks for that information!

I just bought a line-1 here, but it hasn't arrived yet. I'm hoping it's what I am looking for; I've read that they are very neutral; I hope it's not so transparent that my numerous poorly recorded CD's don't sound too bad to listen to! ;-)

To ask you another question Kal; how long do tubes usually last, and how do I know when they go 'bad'?
oldpet
295 posts
 
Hey kincade
How did you make out with your quest for tube integration into your HT? I'm starting down the EXACT same road you've already traveled. I've been told that the use of tube preamps can possibly cause dammage to a SS amp. Did you run into any of that?
Paul
kincade OP
22 posts
 
Paul,

Well - I bought a line-1 and compared it with my Statement D1 - and it sounded no better, and IMHO a little worse. It was definitely harsher on the top end. To be honest, I don't know if it was the line-1, the modded JD100 I swapped in at the same time, or both together. I definitely was not happy though; it sounded more solid state than my SS gear did!

The real clincher was badly recorded CD's; I don't know if it is the D1's upsampling, but with most of my rock CD's it was downright painful to listen on the line-1. The D1 seemed to take that edge off of it.

I then bought a line-2 in mint condition; and haven't even taken it out of the box yet. ;-) I think I'm just going to sell it, sell the wally-modded JD100, buy another stock JD100 and stay happy with my D1 for now and enjoy my music.

My only complaint on the line series is that the HT bypass loop is only single ended, not balanced. Other than that, it's an incredibly beefy and well built piece of equipment.

As far as damage, none whatsoever; it worked perfectly. I something could happen, but it was fine for me.
ryder
1,690 posts
 
Hi Kincade,

I'm sorry to hear that the SF Line 1 didn't live up to your expectations. I agree that SF gears are slightly cleaner in their presentation and 'untubey' in comparison with other tube preamps but I wouldn't use the word 'harsh' to describe the top-end of the Line 1. I would think it's somewhere in your chain that has led to the perceived harshness. Seems like your Anthem Statement D1 is a much smoother machine than the Sonic Frontiers.
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