Went from the LS 100 to the Herron 3a—not even close. The LS 100 was noisy, soft, and not nearly as dynamic. Now own the 360 Reference which is better still.
Preamp shootout: Linear tube audio, Modwright, etc.
Hi Audio friends,
The world of preamps is taking me down a lot of rabbit holes and I'm curious what everyone out there thinks. My journey here started with using my Dac direct to amp. As soon as I inserted a dedicated pre the debate over pre vs. no pre ended. Didn't realize I was missing a third of the music. My current rig: wilson sabrina's, Coda TS v2 power amp, exasound DAC, silnote & cardas cables . I was using a Modwright LS100 and I'm currently trialing the Linear tube audio ref pre. The LS 100 is holographic, images well, but is not nearly as open or detailed as the LTA. The LTA is gorgeous through the mids, but is a little muddy through the bass and not really suited for hard rock. Wonder if different tubes would make a substantial difference to the LTA? If anyone has experience please share.
What other options might be considered in this price range?
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- 37 posts total
@lancelock Interesting to hear your perspective on the coda pre. Doug at Coda is one of my favorite people in the audio world and I have no doubt that his pre is fantastic! This coda TS is a powerhouse. I think you have helped me make my decision. There is something special about the LTA and your are right in your assessment of the speed and dynamics. There is a constellation pre for sale right now that is intriguing, but this is a forever hobby and for better or worse one has to stop and enjoy the music at some point. |
I think a lot of us tried the DAC to amp experiment so do not feel alone. I used to discount the importance of the preamp and thought it was a place to save money. My current preamp costs as much if not a little more than my amplifier so yes, I clearly changed directions on this topic. My .02 is to put all you can into your pre and punch a little above your weight if possible. Cheers. |
@phcollie - Yeah - I hear you. Went from loving integrateds, to thinking I was somehow ahead of the curve going Dac to power amp - LOL Have a whole new respect for the Pre as a result. It really is the heart of a good system. |
- 37 posts total