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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
last_lemming
639 posts
 
I just sent back the Freya S - yes the non tube version. Just didn’t gel w my system. It was clean and clear, but everything seemed smaller and thinner. I paired it with my ARC Classic 60. Again the SS version, not the tube version.
The 20 year old Herron I have now just smashes it. Just as good if not better than my BAT VK 3ix pre on my main system.

also look at Decware. Point to point wiring, hand built. Great warranty. 
bellemusique's avatar
bellemusique
68 posts
 
I own Atma Sphere MP-1 and consider this as one of the finest tube preamps available today on the market. Ear Yoshino would be my second choice. 
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
4,980 posts
 
@atmasphere One parameter is budget. Is this Atma or Ear in the neighborhood of $3k?
naimfan
166 posts
 
@hilde45 -

I missed your budget being a combination of preamp and amp - my apologies. 

For both, you could do something like a CJ PV12/15 or ARC LS15 and match it with something like a McCormack DNA .5 or 1, Krell KST-100 (make sure it's been serviced), various Brystons, etc.  You'd likely want to get a set of replacement tubes for any tube pre you bought used; but that's usually not a huge expense. 
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
4,980 posts
 
@last_lemming  I'll look at decware but very low wattage. I am not sure about how that would pair.
@naimfan  Thanks for those additional suggestions.

I've been glad to collect and hear rationales for anything folks mentioned, especially if they worked somewhere w/in the price parameters I mentioned. I've learned a lot.

But honestly, I realize that I will *not* buy something I cannot audition on a trial basis —either in a store or on a demo. I want to hear things in combination, preferably with my speakers and, ideally, in my home.

From all the research I've done and considering my location (Denver area), the tube list gets shorter:

So, what I can actually audition in stores or via mail, these are the choices:

Schiit
Quicksilver
Black Ice/Jolida
McIntosh (a bit pricy but the MA252 is doable)
Prima Luna
Rogue
Octave (probably too expensive)

If I missed a brand that does in home trial, please correct me.

This probably kills all interest in the topic, but just want to let you know how things are ending up for me!
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