2. amps-preamps
  3. 182217-6478

Whats the ultimate goal with your pre amp ?

I have a great pre amp its a Pass labs XP-22. Its a great compliment to the rest of my gear-Pass 250.8-Pass XP-17 phono pre-VPI Prime Signature TT-Auralic Aries 2.1 Streamer- PS Audio Directstream MK2--Harbeth 40.2 Anniversaries.

My question is- At what point is a pre amp overkill ? Example- In terms of performance- How close does a Parasound JC-2 get to a Pass XP-22 ?

In my mind I want the Pre to be uncolored..silent...and have flexibility/with XLR's in and out. Does or should it cost 10K to achieve this ?

The point of this post is to gather opinions on what other audiophile thoughts are .

Thanks in advance for any and all opinions.

krelldog
aolmrd1241
1,046 posts
 

Look into Coda...great product! I believe Sanders is also Coda spawn...

fsonicsmith1
101 posts
 

audphile1's avatar

audphile1

2,368 posts

 

@krelldog I’ve not yet heard an active preamp that didn’t color the sound. If you ever ran your source direct into your amplifier at unity gain vs it going thru an active linestage, you would most likely hear flatter, colder and more analytical sound. A good linestage would help round some of the rough edges off, paint a more layered and dimensional soundstage, do few good things to the mids without losing clarity and most likely improve the bass. All the good colorations. I don’t think your preamp is an overkill by any means.

All true, but a great pre also adds micro and macrodynamics and drive. The sound goes from boring to exciting. 

ditusa's avatar
ditusa
2,173 posts
 

Look into Atma-Sphere

http://www.atma-sphere.com/en/mp-3.html

robshaw
303 posts
 

Going to buy my second LA-4 next week. Can't say enough good things about it. Rory at Benchmark is great to deal with and talk to.  How can you argue with a 30 trial period, 5 year warranty, made in USA (NY)   The people that want to spend a fortune for another name need to see the LA-4, a real education. 

avanti1960
1,602 posts
 

My preference for a preamp is both sound and function.

For the function I like / require at least 2 balanced inputs. 

For sound I prefer a class A operation with 6SN7 tube complements and a tube rectifier.  I also like lots of dynamics and drive.  I have never heard a solid state preamp that can project such a large and deep sound stage.  

With the right tubes and rectifiers coloration is minimal and refinement is high. 

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