Which would you choose for good sounding tube preamp for an audiophile new to tubes.
I need your help guys. I would like to add a tube preamp to pair with my reference 200.2 B&K amplifier. My speakers are large ADS L1590 towers ( 90 DB efficiency rating). They were a flagship back in the day. I have had them restored by an ads tech. I am l looking at a QUICKSILVER LINESTAGE LS PREAMPLIFIER, VTL 5.5 preamplifier, and a Sonic Frontiers SFL-1. All are currently used and on audiomart or audiogon. The Sonic Frontiers is for sale on hi-fi heaven. I purchased from them before and they check out the equipment that is preowned. My system is a little bright and dynamic sounding using the sonata B&K preamp. (There best at the time). I am looking for a little warmth in the sound and no harshness. I want some slam and afraid I will lose it if I go with tubes. I have had success buying certain units because of the knowledge dispensed through this forum I am a member of Audiogon in good standing. Any help would be great. I appreciate the feedback.
Buy an old Counterpoint preamp - recommend the cheapest one you can find. Send it to me for upgrades and you will never look back. The old stock units sound really good especially in the mid-range. They can use a little bit of help in the high-end and low bass but not much. They compare to everything recommended here and then some. Happy Listening. |
@tmaker That 10:1 ratio get one into the area where cables don’t matter, and you have synergy from the electrical perspective, rather than a magical and unexplainable synergy. I might be wrong, so YMMV. |
