I’ve got the upgrade itch


Thinking about going back to separates.  My current setup is a Primaluna Dialogue Premium Integrated amp.  Since the Primaluna has an HT input, I can do the upgrade in two steps, upgrading the preamp first. I am thinking about a 6SN7 based preamp, such as Sachs, Supratek, or, an Atma-Sphere MP-3 (if I can stretch the budget).

Question, will the preamp switch make a big difference over the preamp stage in the Primaluna??

mabonn

Stretch the budget a little and spend on the preamp.  It is a crucial component.  The amp is too, of course but a bad system match where the preamp is the weak point can make the rest of your system sound , dull, bright, recessed, too forward..... whatever bad nasties you can think of can be due to the preamp.  It is as important as your speaker choice, it influences the overall character of a system 

I recently posted a similar thread and got some really good advice. You can check out my threads to see the details. 

If you can demo separates in home that is a huge plus....  About 10 years ago I demo'd a preamp in stor e but in a $50k system (it was a $3000 pre) .  It sounded so good in that set up that I was fairly confident it was a good bang for the buck performance wise.  Turned out to be a great unit, I had it almost 10 years .