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Seriously considering tube preamp…opinions?

Tube virgin, here. I am building a system and I'm trying to contain the preamp/amp cost to $3k or so. (I could go up a little.) 

I'm inclined not to dive into tubes all the way through, but get a solid state on the output end. (Open to suggestions; inclined toward PS Audio, Parasound.) I'm reading around about tube preamps and have talked with my local dealer, who sells Black Ice/Jolida and Prima Luna (PL). He used to carry Rogue but said they kept coming back for repairs. That's why he carries PL.

I'm asking these questions after having established (via reviews, comments) that Schiit gear is quite the value. Lately, I've been reading about Decware and other small tube makers. I'm very curious about buying direct, if possible, and a company that stands behind their products is crucial.

So, your opinions about tube integrated or *especially* tube preamps —

1. Who do you like? Consider I want to do pre/amp for a total of $3k if possible.

2. Do you think PL is worth all that money just for a preamp? I get the feeling they're high quality but a bit over-hyped. (No disrespect to the highly passionate Kevin Deal, but he's all over my search results.) And what would you think about $2k/$1k preamp-to-amp spending ratio?

3. Any sense of what happened to Jolida since the name change to "Black Ice"? I see there's a sordid story there but did the re-branding clear up the mess? Any experiences with the Black Ice company?

4. I know there are many Schiit fans out there; so my question would be -- did anyone consider Schiit for tube preamp and go another way? Or move beyond Schiit for any particular reason? It's hard not to just capitulate and do a Freya+ or Saga+ but why wouldn't one just go with Schiit?




128x128hilde45
stevea11757's avatar
stevea11757
130 posts
 
+1 for Quicksilver

great bang for the buck and a good place to start with tubes. Still have mine in my office system after moving up through ARC's and now have 5se in main system. QS still running in office system and still no issues
moofoo
293 posts
 
+1 on the Ultraverve from Dehavilland. I bought one used for less than half your budget and immediately sold my Primaluna preamp. The Ultraverve sounded much better than the PL in my system. I rolled many tubes in the PL but to me the key is the UV is a 6SN7 based unit. It made a big difference from the 12AU7 PL. Bigger, more natural sound, yet all the detail is there and more space between instruments. PL makes good products, gets all the reviews, and served me well...but Kara Chaffee’s product is much better in my system. She is great to work with on new and used gear. If you have a problem, questions, etc. with your gear, there is nothing like speaking directly with the person who designed, built, wrote the manual for, and shipped it! Just my opinion. 
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
5,023 posts
 
I had a busy day yesterday and am catching up, following out leads in posts and thinking about it all.
While I cannot listen to many of the brands/makers being suggested, it's certainly interesting to survey the language makers use — sometimes it's tech jargon (legit and fluffy), sometimes it's a heartfelt origin story. Often, it's hyperbolic metaphor — I just read that one amp is especially focused on delivering "euphoria"! Well, sure — just throw in some "manna" and a "happy ending" and you've got my $2k!
At this point, I definitely need to just listen to what is around me here in Denver. If I decide I like tubes, it would be tricky to go for something I have not heard over what I have heard — but as many point out here, the price point and quality might be worth that adventure. More to come.
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
5,023 posts
 
@markusthenaimnut or others — I've heard Kevin Deal say "point to point wiring" so often, I'm finding myself looking for it myself. But why is it important?

Perhaps a more general way of asking this question is —

What are the 3 or so really important build factors in a tube amp (preamp if we must narrow it down) that indicate a genuinely quality build?

hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
5,023 posts
 
@moofoo Thanks for your review -- and others about DeHavilland. Brand new, they seem to be out of my budget by a little. I want to mention that this sentence resonated: "If you have a problem, questions, etc. with your gear, there is nothing like speaking directly with the person who designed, built, wrote the manual for, and shipped it!" Indeed. And I do see that some other mfrs recommended here are also responsive. I would add -- and this may seem very irrelevant to many -- that a woman designer and owner in this industry is an interesting plus, and perhaps a good reason to support. If my daughter were to get into audio, it’d be nice for there to be some role models out there...
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