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Preamp suggestions for Atma-Sphere Class D Monoblocks

As I impatiently await the arrival of my Atma-Sphere class-d monos, I am writing to solicit opinions from experienced members on this site. Balanced inputs and outputs as well as the ability to connect a subwoofer are important. Headphone amp would be nice but not critical. Ditto for built-in phono. These are some of the tube and solid state units I am considering (not necessarily exhaustive):

  1. Atma-Sphere MP-3 mk3.3
  2. Cary SLP-05 (ultimate edition, if I can find a pristine used pair at a good price)
  3. Modwright LS-100
  4. PrimaLuna EVO 400
  5. Supratek - Champagne or 6SN7 Cabernet - I have no idea what the difference between these two are and the website is not helpful at all
  6. Anthem STR
  7. Benchmark LA-4/HPA-4
  8. Bryston BR-20 (or one of their purely analog variants - BP-19?) - I am hesitant to bundle streaming and dac into a preamp
  9. NAD M66
  10. ?

I will initially use the Bel Canto DAC2.8 as a dac and preamp with an Auralic Aries G1.1 as the streamer. My speakers are Totem Acoustic Forest Signatures, sub is a REL s/510 that I seldom use. I am unsure whether I can use the speaker level connections with the A-S monos (my current Bel Canto Ref510S class d amp has a chassis grounding screw to which I connect the REL’s ground wire).

Philosophically speaking, I have owned a wide range of equipment over the years - everything from "measurements above all" type gear (a full Benchmark stack), a few tube pieces (PrimaLuna, Tavish Design, Rogue), Class A amplification (Pass Labs XA-30.8) and a completely active Genelec 8351b based system. I seem to be slowly but surely gravitating towards subjectively great sounding gear, regardless of how they measure - the Totems are a case in point. However, I don’t want to find that I have moved too far in any one direction. At the end of the day, I value realism and emotional connection more than the ability to deconstruct the music but I don’t want to listen to a sloppy system that homogenizes everything. I’m sure this is all clear as mud! It is however, a reflection of where I am at the end of 28 years of being on this hamster wheel. All thoughts and suggestions welcome. Thanks in advance.

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oldschool1948's avatar
oldschool1948
502 posts
 

@OP I use a LTA MicroZOTL Preamplifier Level 2 with a PS Audio BHK250 power amp and love the sound.  The LTA doesn’t have balanced outputs so that may be an issue.  When I purchased the ZOTL pre amp, I went from a fully balanced system to all RCA cables.  I now have to turn the volume up a little higher to get the same level as with the balanced cables, but there’s no loss in SQ.

soix
9,588 posts
 

I wish I knew how it compares to the MP-3. There is a lot to be said for system energy and surely @atmasphere Ralph would have designed the Class D so they work brilliantly as a pair.

Yeah, synergy was a biggie why I recommended it along with it just being a great preamp, plus it obviously also adheres to the AES balanced standard that can pay dividends in allowing for cheaper interconnects — not sure which if any of the others I recommended follow the standard.  I’m almost positive the MP-3 has a remote option and would be shocked if it didn’t. 

mwood
56 posts
 

+1  Backert Rhumba Extreme or Rhythm. All of the Backert preamps are sensational. The sound is neutral but absolutely magical. I have the Rhythm (flagship model) and I use 300B mono blocks or a Pass Labs XA 30.8. In either case the Backert preamp has proven to be an end game pre for me. I would suggest going to their website and reading all of the information about them. Great company and a superlative piece of gear.

acman3
4,263 posts
 

Srama, I  have the Atma-Sphere Mp-3 with the Atma-Sphere D amplifiers. Very good together.  I like the phono amp a lot. I have not heard any of the preamps on your list.

Good Luck!

armstrod
613 posts
 

I have the Atma-Sphere Class Ds and run them with Ralph's MP-3 3.3, a great combo as you would expect. I bought mine without remote and Ralph was able to retrofit it with no problem.

I previously owned a Modwright LS-100 and ran it with a pair of Atma-Sphere M-60s, but sold it before the M-60s were replaced by the Class Ds. It's a terrific preamp and sounded great with a lot of amps, but I thought the MP-3 had better inner detail and benefitted from being fully balanced.

The preamp I've kept as my one spare is an LTA MZ2, which I believe is an incredible bargain. I can only imagine the LTA MicroZotl is even better, just as the Atma MP-1 is likely better than the MP-3. It all depends on how much money you want to spend.   :-)

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