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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
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
4,991 posts
 
@richdirector — thanks for those suggestions. I don't plan on playing vinyl, but I'll take a look.
@4425 thanks — I will avoid boat anchors. By "unknown brand" I assume you mean "not well known" or "not artisanal" (to borrow a foodie term).
pfeiffer
54 posts
 
deHavilland Ultraverve tube preamp.  Simple, solid, really nice sound.  Uses four tubes.  The one 6sn7 tube gives this preamp its signature voicing.  I prefer vintage GT's, and military 6sn7's.  Point to point wiring. Nothing fancy, just solid with a great musical sound.  My philosophy is to "keep it simple".  I use the tubed deHavilland preamp with a Bryston 14bsst solid state amp. I love music and am always looking on how to improve the sound quality...but honestly, I don't think I can make it much better relative to my room. I also run my steamer/DAC through my pre...not a hint of digital brightness and no musical fatigue which I attribute to my deHavilland Ultraverve.
moofoo
293 posts
 
+1 pfeiffer, as I said earlier - you can buy a used Ultraverve. 
moofoo
293 posts
 
+1 pfeiffer, as I said earlier - you can buy a used Ultraverve. 
wolf_garcia
6,711 posts
 
I run my Freya (original version) into a Dennis Had Inspire "Firebottle" high output (ha...12 to maybe 17wpc depending on tubes) tube masterpiece...a seriously great sounding amp, and then succumbed to the hype regarding the Schiit Aegir and bought one late last year...although the first one they sent was flawed (tripped its safety mode WAY too easily), the replacement (no charge for that) worked seemingly as it should. I have efficient Klipsch Heresy IIIs, and don't crank em up too much, but when testing the Aegir, the new one STILL managed to shut down once...wasn't hot, wasn't particularly loud (and note that the Heresies can get very loud with just a few watts), but that was somewhat off-putting. It is a nice sounding amp for SS, but when I stuck my Had SEP amp back in there it was no contest...the Had has the effortless speed of a snappy single ended tube amp, and made the Aegir seem artificial, and like I said, somewhat untrustworthy. The Vidar might be a better choice but otherwise maybe a Jolida (Black Ice?) tube amp as they're a bargain (had one, it was amazing). Used Primaluna power amps abound also. If you're lucky you could possibly get a Had amp someplace, as that's what really gets the soul stirred. 
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