Preamp Advice/experiences needed


I recently auditioned a Vac Renaissance Mk 5 and it was damn fine. But there are some issues I have with it that would not make it a great fit in my system and also costs a bit much. I also have on my short list the Aesthetix Calypso Eclipse and Ayre KX-5 twenty. Can anyone chime in with their experiences? any advice is appreciated. (my pwr amp is CJ Premiere 12 monos). TIA

jimbones

I have the calypso signature just upgraded from standard. Very happy with the results I’m having in regards to sound quality. I asked Glenn at Aesthetix if the eclipse would make a difference again and he said it would be twice as good. If you do purchase the eclipse, you might want to invest in some good tubes,Andy at Vintagetubesservices can help you. Good luck in your upgrade.

I’d recommend taking a look at the Linear Tube Audio MicroZOTL tube preamp. I believe they offer a 15-day trial so you can see if it works for you. Here’s a review by A’gon member Terry London in case you haven’t already seen it…

https://hometheaterreview.com/linear-tube-audio-microzotl-preamplifier/

https://www.lineartubeaudio.com/products/microzotl-preamplifier

Best of luck in your search.

Go to your userID. You want to create a virtual system. If you click around a bit.. you’ll hit on it. You can easily upload photos and add your components.

I ran Pr12's for a number of years.  I tried several different preamps but always found CJ tubed worked best.  Depending on your budget one of the newer CJ preamps would really wake those amps up.  If you like the older CJ sound, look for a Pr16, which is a very nice match for the 12's.