2. amps-preamps
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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
4,869 posts
 
@jaudio1 Thanks, will take a look.
@tvad Zu is a good option. I'll take a look and maybe they'll come my way. Good price points. I was curious about Omega, also, but I wrote them and there is no home trial. You buy it, it's yours. Done. https://omegaloudspeakers.com/collections/monitor-speakers/products/super-alnico-monitor?variant=32172390412

Any thoughts about Ascend or Fritz?
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hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
4,869 posts
 
Thanks, @tvad That is quite an attractive option. I don't think a flight to Ogden is in my plans yet, but then again, I think Tekton is within driving. I could compare those two companies' stuff...and catch the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
decooney
1,908 posts
 

warmly invite you to consider tracking down and auditioning a pair of Quad ESL speakers. 63s, 988s, 2805/2905, etc. Any of these might require a rebuild (cost about $2000 with shipping) but there is a reason why these are universally well regarded.

If I may suggest, no offense, this is where the correct amplification can make or break it for someone - and so can the room you place them in. While I’m a fan of Electrostatics, a buddy of mine stepped up and bought his beloved brand new Quad 2905s to celebrate his retirement and a milestone birthday. Paid good money for them too. Was super excited for him. It all turned out kind of odd for him. The sound stage was odd, nothing really clicked. >>He put them up for resale within the same year as i recall<<. Heard them a few times with some really nice top-shelf preamps, different amps, you name it - they just sounded boring to me and others. Nothing special. What happened?

I bet the right amp would have made them sing BUT what I really think happened is they were placed in the wrong size room and position. He was stuck. Got resold. Someone got a great deal. Room was too small, short, odd ceilings. Some speakers just don’t sound right until you put them in a <right-sized> room that makes them shine.

Don’t forget the room! The room is the speaker too.
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
4,869 posts
 
@decooney Great point. My two spaces are not all the flexible for placement. The nice thing about bookshelves -- and the reason I went with Salk WOW1's for a trial, is the flexibility which comes from small size and front-ports. That's what's probably dogging me on the low sensitivity front. Some of the speakers here may just be too large. Hard to do in-home trials of lots of stuff. pretty soon, it's gonna be a year and a lot of shipping.
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