@audiojan good luck with that.
The first amp I ever saw current limit effects was a 14 lb EL84 shoebox amp.
You totally missed my point on the bass balance. Not gonna try again.
You sound like you've got it figured out.
Warm, yet detailed tube preamp
Looking for a warm but yet detailed preamp to upgrade my Rouge RP1 (with NOS tubes). Rest of system is Coincident Frankenstein 300B Mk2, Zu Audio Omen Def Supreme, digital front end with PS Audio AirStream and DirectStream Sr (modified with external power supply for the analog side and different output transformers). The Rouge is a very good preamp (especially for the money), but it does definitely hold the system back at this point. I would like to add a bit more warmth of the overall sound and also add depth to the soundstage (without losing details). And I do want a remote... if nothing else, volume and mute.
Willing to spend about $5k used (or so).
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"I've never heard the Cary SLP98, but I, personally, do not consider my SLP05 to be warm." I have a Cary SLP98 and it is warm, but also rather thick and sluggish, and was replaced by my own version of a Don Sachs-style Aikido 6SN7 preamp, which is much faster and more transparent but still rich and warm. Unfortunately Don has stopped making his Aikido preamps, and the Tubes4HiFi SP14 it was based on is good but really a DIY project and not as refined as Don's version. For the OP, I would look at a 6SN7-based preamp for the combination of heft, detail and complete lack of distortion that that tube exhibits. The LTA MicroZOTL, Icon's Pure Valve, even the Black Ice Fusion. |
I can make my Cary SLP-98 preamp sound like four different tube preamps by simply changing the 6SN7 tubes and capacitors. And, it responds to different interconnect cables when the rest of the system is reasonably transparent. TUBES: The original stock EH Electro Harmonix 6SN7 tubes always seemed a tad lean. For more detail, neutral midrange, vintage 6SN7 Sylvania GT work okay New manufacturer TungSol 6SN7GTB, more weighty, less detail, tad more grainy. Not as refined as my vintage or others below. For more midrange weight and body, velvety, PSVANE CV181s do the trick. In between, my mothballed sets of TS Full Music 6SN7s are very nice. ICs: Having tried several different pairs of interconnects with my SLP-98 - Apature silver-over-copper, Analysis Plus OCC copper, various Cardas Grade 1 copper, and others... each provided different results as well. Caps: Choose your flavor, a whole other chapter on different sounds with this preamp.
In summary, when someone indicates lean or full or weighty sound from any 6SN7 preamp I’ve tried, there are other factors involved to yield different results too fwiw.
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The SLP-98 is a nice preamp, but somewhat hampered, IMO, by the simple parallel 6SN7 configuration and the stock output capacitors. I tried many tube and cable combinations with mine and achieved decent results, but by comparison the Aikido 6SN7 is much "faster" and more transparent, offering more information and liquidity while maintaining the linearity and naturalness of the 6SN7. Part of that is due to the noise-cancelling properties of the Aikido, as well as the SRPP-like configuration. If you like the Cary but haven't heard an Aikido-style preamp I think you'd be surprised at the comparison. It's too bad Don Sachs doesn't make his anymore. An assembled and upgraded SP14 is a close contender, though. |
@dogearedaudio If you haven’t already, check out the Raven pre that Don has co-designed for Spatial Audio — it goes way beyond what he’s done with his prior preamps albeit at a somewhat dearer price point. There’s another thread here that has a lot more info on the specifics of the design. |
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