plz suggest a tube preamp to match Parasound A21 amp

Freya +/A21 combo sound better than my SS (p6)  and I know that I could play with tube rolling to polish the SQ, but that clicking-scraping volume control and pretty long start delay of Freya is Just not for me. 

There’s a Unison Research Unico PRE available here for $2k (MSRP about $5k).  They fly under the radar but make really good stuff.  Best of luck. 

You might be able to find one of our used MP-3s in that price range; it would do the job. How its different from most high end audio balanced preamps is it has a direct-coupled output, and supports the balanced line standard, otherwise known as AES48, which most tube preamps don't (and a lot of solid state preamps for that matter).


AES48 reduces the liklihood of ground loops and also the artifact of the interconnect cable itself (if you've heard the difference between two interconnect cables in audition then you know what I'm talking about). Most preamps don't support the standard since an output transformer is usually needed (the Backert Labs Rhumba has an output transformer for balanced operation, so should be a contender here). We patented a means of direct-coupling a balanced output. Getting rid of the coupling cap at the output means greater transparency and bandwidth.

Thanks, surfmuz. Good to hear the Freya worked well with the A21. I’m considering using mine with a Rotel RB-1590.

Cheers,

Scott

Check the output impedance of the preamp because the A21 has an input impedance of only 33kohms. I was in the same situation and the low frequencies were MIA
Dan