2. amps-preamps
  3. 155997-144538

seeking recommendations for a preamp

I've been lurking a while, but this is my first post. I will appreciate any advice given, and thank you for reading this.

My Kenwood C2 bit the dust. I have lost the right channel, and the input selector is also going out. I'm looking to replace it, and upgrade quite a bit. The wife has given me a $2500 budget, new or used is ok. I listen to Vinyl a lot, as well as my echo dot which is also plugged into my preamp with a headphone to RCA adapter. I'll list my other equipment now.

Completely rebuilt Altec A7-500 with all new parts from GPA
JBL L200s
Kenwood M1D amplifier
Homebrew rebuilt Monoblocks from Zenith consoles with EL84/6BQ5
Yamaha EQ
Thorens TD 318 with an Ortofon cart. Unsure which one as I am at work
SVS PB16 ultra

The room is 16 wide by 20 deep. I primarily listen to the Altecs and tube amps with the SVS sub taking up the slack in the bass from the A7s. Sometimes I listen to the JBLs driven by the Kenwood M1D. I notice that the echo dot sounds a lot better than my turntable, so I know I must be needing a better phono stage. I've tried swapping out turntables with a couple of Dual 1229s with Shure M97XE carts that Bill at fixmydual has gone through thoroughly so It's not isolated to my Thorens. I guess I' surprised that the $30 Echo Dot sounds so much better.  

I admit I don't have the best cables, and will upgrade those as I can. I feel like the preamp is the heart of the system so I want to make a good choice. I love Macintosh, based purely off emotion, but don't know if it's the best choice for my situation. I do not have a local shop to audition, and none of my friends are into audio. What preamps should I be looking at ??
128x128adrianleewelch
arcticdeth's avatar
arcticdeth
1,572 posts
 
my my biggest surprise was a used Onkyo P-308 preamp.

 Absolutely amazing. Warm, features, and a very relaxed sound.  
  Can be had for 3-400$
sent mine in for a upgrade/recap about 8 months ago, completely defined the sound, warmer, more relaxed, just all around an amazing preamp.
will compete with preamps 4X the price.

listen and believe! just a great preamp!!

conrad Johnson 
B&K pro 10
many choices.

 That onkyo is a helluva bargain!
curlyhifi
157 posts
 
Looking at your equipment you may want to consider The Rotel 1590
adrianleewelch's avatar
adrianleewelch OP
74 posts
 
Yes, I am seeing there are TOO many choices although I suppose that is a good thing. I do see though, that a lot of the "better" preamps may not have a phone stage. Im thinking maby I don't want a built in phone stage afterall…….I was just thinking about a simple setup, but that's never the case is it ?
bobedwards101
176 posts
 
Audio by Van Alstine refurbished Dynaco PAS-3. Hard to find a better phono preamp than that for under three grand!  Or perhaps their Transcendence or Vision models. 
islandhopr2020
2 posts
 
Hi Adrian - Check out the new Primaluna Evo 200. If you are interested I have one that has about 30 hours on it. I am getting a divorce in the near future and I need to sell it. It is in 9.9 condition. The only reason it is a 10 is that it has been hooked up and played. Looks brand new. No scratches, nicks or any cosmetic issues and barely broken in. It will be in your price range. Contact me if your are interested. Good luck with your search!   
More to discover