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New Preamp arrived....

So a few short hours ago my Quicksilver Line Stage Preamp arrived. It will be replacing a Schiit SYS passive that was bought to be able to implement the first piece of the puzzle, the power amp, and be able to sell my cheapo integrated.

its been 20 months since the power amp arrived so today was super exciting.
I hook it all up (and reverse the speaker connections as it says it inverts phase) and...

Well its every bit as clean and clear as the Schiit. Bass is a little better. The volume knob can actually be turned further to get as loud as the Schiit which was surprising. The treble has some sizzle on the very top end which I’m assuming will work itself out over time. Not much different in the bass department.

My fear going in was it’d sound the same which would add a heavy dose of buyer’s remorse ($1300 vs $50). It’s got the stock JJ 12AT7 tubes and I have a pair of NOS RCA black plates coming next week.

So what kinds of things can I expect for the first few days/weeks?
gochurchgo
gochurchgo OP
923 posts
 
@noromance thanks. I figured things will change but I guess my expectations were too high as to where they’d start from. Going from a $50 passive to tube it seemed to me o should be starting in a better position and improving from there.

I’ve only 4-5 hours on it so I’ll keep going. NOS tubes will be here Monday. Then I’ll have to decide on whether to stick it out with the JJ’s and see how they evolve or go right to the RCA’s. 

My buyer’s remorse (which I get if I buy anything for myself at all) is huge right now.
tomcarr
1,545 posts
 
OP- hope it sounds better after some hours. Buyer's remorse- we've all been there at least once, I still remember the feeling all too well. Hopefully that won't be the case here. Keep us posted...
Tom
tooblue
1,953 posts
 
Don't be too critical right now, you puchased a nice piece of equipment from a very reputable builder and the nuances of the tube circuit well employed will show up in spades, relax and play some music and enjoy, before you know it you will forget that you were listening for differences between it and your Schiit pre. After you put a few hundred hours +  on it slip the Schiit back in and you will marvel at the upgrade. Leave those stock tubes in place till they burn in and you get a feel for the sound before tube rolling. Enjoy your new pre. Enjoy the music
gochurchgo OP
923 posts
 
Thats @tooblue 

I left it on all night so it will get double sigit hours today and all through the night. I will also wait on rolling the new tubes.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
islandmandan
1,260 posts
 
I recently replaced my kit built preamp for basically a new Modwright SWL 9.0 SE  Line Stage. It came with an upgraded power supply, new tube board, MWI capacitors. It is everything I hoped it would be, right out of the box.

It just keeps on getting better, so I suggest you give it plenty of break in time. Have you talked to the merchant you bought it from to see what they have to say about it? And, if necessary, what their return policy is?

I hope it works out for, a great preamp makes a big difference.

Regards,
Dan  
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