2. amps-preamps
  3. 161097-1604

Some love for the Benchmark HPA4/LA4

Making this thread to show my love for this amazing preamp. Yea, all the use usual descriptions apply. Yadda yadda it is great.

It is 1:15 AM  in the morning and my kid and wife are asleep. I am not cranking it but listening at very very low volume (I have great headphones available but it sounds amazing on the speakers right now).  It is the preamp that is doing the great sound at low volume. I won't get into details., but damn this is something special. I am on my 4 or 5th scotch but do let that cloud your perception of what I am saying. I knows what I am talking about.

You guys going direct to amp from DAC. Put this into the circuit (for $2500) and tell me it is not better.
yyzsantabarbara
kren0006
1,859 posts
 
What are you using for amp/source/dpeakers?

what other preamps did you compare against, if any?
yyzsantabarbara OP
5,027 posts
 
My gear is linked on Virtual Systems.

Preamps I owned and demoed.

Bryston BP20
BAT VK-42SE
Benchmark DAC3 HGC

*Luxman c900u
*Hegel P30
*Mark Levinson 526
*D'agistino something
*T+A P3100 HV
*SimAudio 740P 
* Bryston BP17 Cubed

* I demoed these at stores in the last 24 months 

I figured out I do not want any flavor to the sound from a preamp. I also want complete silence from the preamp (deep space silence) with an incredible volume control and inputs for my sources. That is what the HPA4/LA4 gives.

My current AHB2 amp also has no flavor but in the future, now that I have new speakers, I am looking to add something like the Luxman m900u or the CODA #8 or #16 to pair with the HPA4. I will rotate 2 amps with the HPA4 to waste my time.

I would love to hear folks who have tried this pre-amp and compared it to others as I have. 
kren0006
1,859 posts
 
Interesting.  Many of those are in different price tiers.
yyzsantabarbara OP
5,027 posts
 
Most of those preamps I heard were excellent. However, I came to feel that I do not want the preamp to add anything to the sound, especially noise. The amp and speakers can do that.
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