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SONIC FRONTIERS LINE 3...TUBES & CAPS upgrade

Hi guys
I have my first tube preamp in my room and was wondering what tubes (crucial area only) and caps you have tried...also where you got them from..
I have been in touch with Chris Johnson of Parts Express on his super duper upgrade as he is a hour away from work but im in Canada and he wants to charge $60/hr and taxes in USD... Not gonna fly in my house.. besides I have my own tech.
He uses V caps ($$$$) but was curious about Mundorf maybe or????
Also what tubes you found that were smooth..
Not sure all the sources for these items.
I use Mark levinson ml series amps with my awesome ATC super mids and SS 7100 tweeter and have a fully recapped KRELL FPB 600 running all my lows..
Any experiences and help appreciated. ...
Thanks
mclsound
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"45% of his parts have nothing to do with the SQ"

What parts are you talking about?
mclsound OP
159 posts
 
Ok
Gave that other line 3 back and I am currently looking for another. ..either a regular or a SE+
It has great features and good bass but mid/hi was very metallic..
45% was not worthy of SQ improvement ..
I was looking at a VAC w/phono but his US price was to related to the blue book hyperbole and were at $200 Canadian for every $1000USD..
Also a nice VAC signature in toronto but the seller is all about blue book and usd vs Canadian dollar so I cannot work with him..
I also looked at a vtl tl7.5 v1 but again..over $1000 in currency exchange. .
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
Pardon me, but I am confused. You say you are looking for another regular or SE+ Line 3, and then you say that it did not sound very good. Then you proceed to mention looking at preamps from VAC and VTL. I really don't have any idea what direction you are heading in, do you?

VAC is worlds ahead of any Sonic Frontier gear I've ever heard. I don't know what your budget is, but there are varying prices of different VAC preamps too. Patience is a virtue. While I do prefer VAC over many of the standard competitors, you may find a nice value in a Shindo, Herron, Messenger, or other manufacturer.
mclsound OP
159 posts
 
Lol
Yes that may have sounded confusing. ..
I can pick up a line 3 at 1/3 the cost of the VAC and maybe slip in a thousand dollars in caps, tubes and a few other parts to smoothen out the top....the $1000 in upgrades is equal to the money lost in taxes/exchange rate alone...
I would rather do that then give my money to the government and banks. .

I did look into the other units here on audiogon but I believe as a Canadian with this currency exchange. .I will not be purchasing anything here in a while..
brf
1,715 posts
 
Its doesn't matter if you buy in the US or Canada, it is only a bad deal if you end up with product you don't like.

Buy a preamp that sounds right to your ears, why chase a pre that sounds bad in its stock form and hope for the best with upgrades. That sounds like a plan for potential failure.
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