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
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I haven't ever listened to Zu speakers, and I couldn't find published impedance curves or other measurements for the Omen models. But based on the specs and on what I've read about them over the years I'd expect them to be very versatile with respect to choice of amplification, while at the same time being revealing of the intrinsic sonic character of the particular amp.

Also, some of the Omen models have 12 ohm nominal impedances, while others are rated at 8 ohms. And while solid state amps will typically have maximum power capabilities that are close to 1/3 less into 12 ohms than into 8 ohms, given the high efficiency of those speakers that won't usually matter. I suppose, also, that from a sonic standpoint there may be some cases where a 12 ohm load might be less than optimal for the 8 ohm tap of some tube amps.

Best regards,
-- Al
 
I had a good chat with Jim Salk, who said that at a recent RMAF show he played his Salk 9.5 towers (8 ohm, 87 db) with no problem from a 30 wpc tube in a 30x30 room. I'm likely going to change my order (I'm going to think about it a bit) to the Salk SS 6M speakers.

http://www.salksound.com/model.php?model=SS%206M 

They're 90db and 8 ohms. They're a lot more $$ than the WOW1's but the amplification needed for decent headroom will be much less; I won't find myself pushed into stratospheric prices for adequate amp power. I'll still get a 30 day trial to see how I like them. (Others on forums are comparing them to Joseph Audio, so I'm optimistic.) As folks here advised, I am *starting with the speakers* but this time, I'm also paying attention to sensitivity.
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That seems like a good change well worth the increased cost.

+1.

Best regards,
-- Al