2. amps-preamps
  3. 1438629848

stereo preamp $2-5K suggestions

I have been a long time lurker of Audiogon forums but I don’t think I have posted anything yet. I am in the market for a stereo preamplifier. I am currently using my Arcam AVR380 as my preamp. The AVR is connected to a 250WPC Emotiva XPA-2 amplifier (input impedance 23.5komhs). I was interested in putting together a tube preamp to solid state amplifier system. I am interested in a tube preamp since I have always preferred to use guitar amps with tubes and I thought that some of that tube magic may apply to hi-fi as well. I have a budget of 5K yet would really like to spend 2-3K instead. (Who wouldn’t?) I am interested in new or used. I have liked my Emotiva amp and looked at the Emotiva’s XSP-1 preamp but I have not tried it at home. I may A-B the Emotiva preamp with whatever tube preamp I end up getting to see how good the XSP-1 is. I tend to use my Music Hall MMF 5.1 turntable / Grado Platinum 1 Cart. / Phonomena II phono preamp to listen to most music. I also tend to play a lot of music with female vocalists. I really like the voices of Anne Murray, Linda Ronstadt, Shelby Lynne and Olivia Newton John. However, I also play a lot of Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Willie Nelson and Steely Dan too. The most important aspect of music to me is the vocals and acoustic instruments. I like solid bass but not at the expense of good sonic texture in the bass. My current audio system (Vandersteen 3Asig speakers/Arcam AVR380/Emotiva XPA-2 amp) sounds good but not great. The sonic texture, dynamics and soundstage width are pretty good in my system but I do not get the 3D presentation I have heard in other systems where the instruments and vocals seem to be floating in space. I can hear the instruments/vocals in my current system placed side to side (2D) but I do not get much depth. I would like suggestions on tube stereo preamps that may get me closer to a 3D presentation of the music. I have been doing online research and saw the PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium Preamp that is new for about 3K. Is this preamp as good as many reviews say it is? Can it really compete with 10K preamplifiers? If there are any great solid state preamps that you think would also give me a great “virtually-there 3D presentation” (in the 2-5K range), I would like to hear about those too. Thanks all!
g_rogers
socfan12
28 posts
 
I second the Ayre nomination. I purchased the K5xe-MP here on Agon and absolutely love it. My system is pretty resolving and the Ayre fits in quite nicely.

These come up from time to time, and usually sell within a day or two, so grab one while you can.
g_rogers OP
12 posts
 
Thank you all for the great suggestions. I do plan on upgrading my amp at some point too. I like the full sound my Emotiva XPA-2 amp gives over the venerable Bryston 3B amp (100 watts/channel) that I had years before. The Bryston sounded good but ran out of juice when I turned up the volume to moderate levels. The Emotiva seemed to really "wake up" my speakers compared to the Bryston. However, I think I may detect a little upper-mid-range glare or hardness with the Emotiva. A few months ago I took my Emotiva amp out the chain and ran the speakers with just my Arcam AVR380 (90 watts/channel). I noticed that vocals were sweeter sounding with just the Arcam but the dynamics and slam were missing as compared to the Emotiva. Thanks again for all the feedback I really appreciate it!
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
Are you absolutely sure the speakers are set up properly? Before spending money on a new preamp I would investigate speaker placement, toe-in and more critical with Vandersteens than most, tilt angle.
When I owned the 2CE sigs a while back it was amazing how dialing in speaker set up made them go from adequate to superb. And sometimes it can be as little as a couple degrees toe-in or tilt angle.
wlutke
744 posts
 
Be sure your speakers are set up the best they can be before upgrading anything. You might get some of that magic for free. My (3A Sig) mistakes were assuming the tilt back was the same because I used the same shims on each speaker. That was not true and the 3D image suffered. On top of that, moving one speaker forward or back by as little as 1/2 inch solidified or blurred the images. The 3A can be used near the back wall without booming but stay away from a room corner. If you've already got your speakers painstakingly dialed in, good for you, ignore this. As for upgrading your system, changing just one component *may* get you some improvement. If your preamp is a *severe* bottleneck it could be a big improvement. From past experience, with your modest system I think you will be disappointed putting that different a league pre in the mix.
g_rogers OP
12 posts
 
Good points Timrhu and Wlutke. I followed the Vandersteen's positioning guide to set up the speakers including setting the correct tilt angle. I have also played around with positioning too. In fact, I moved the speakers farther into the room (about 6") and slightly increased the toe-in last week. After moving the speakers I noticed the imaging improved. (My wife has not noticed that I moved the speakers out more yet...) I have never had the speakers professionally set-up. I purchased the speakers used and never benefited from a dealer professionally setting the speakers up. I have read about set-ups where the dealer positions the speakers using lasers and mirrors and I thought that may be worthwhile someday. The Vandersteen 3ASig speakers may be a little too big for my room too. The room I have them in is 15' wide by 16' deep with 7.5' high ceiling. The speakers are about 8 feet from each other and 3' from the back and side walls. This weekend I will play around with speaker positioning more.
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