2. amps-preamps
  3. 191420-193414

Need suggestions on preamp

I’m mainly a headphone listener so when I got the chance to purchase a pair of Magnepan LRS speakers near my home town, I ran with it. I love Maggies and their midrange smoothness and live performance feel. I was able to find a used Parasound A21 for $1200 on Marketplace which was replacing my Adcom 545. I’m now running into a dilemma where I think the Adcom 545 sounded more detailed to me. I listen to a lot of instrumental music that I know well and I’m not getting the same level of detail as I’m getting with my headphone setup which is running balanced from my RME ADI-2 DAC. I’m using more expensive Audience AU-SX interconnects on those but even when running the RME direct into the amp (since it has volume control) I’m not getting the level of resolution I’m used to with my headphone setup (Hifiman HE1000 with a Serbian Audio HSA-1B amp).

I think the issue might be related to my preamp. I bought a Schiit Saga+ and despite running good NOS tubes or trying out passive mode I’m not getting the resolution I’m looking for. I’m looking for a recommendation on a preamp that costs between $1,000-$2,000 that will max out the resolution of the Parasound while keeping it’s effortless flow and naturalness in tact. Maybe the problem is the speakers and I really should have gone for the LRS+ or 1.7s? I know the room plays a huge role with Maggies but I live in a small apartment so for now I’m looking for any suggestions that can be fixed with gear. Thanks for any help!

128x128hikaru126
invalid
1,180 posts
 

@jasonbourne71  

It's hard to get accurate measurements on speakers like magnepans, as anyone with any experience measuring them knows.

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jallan
295 posts
 

You are not clear in what you are stating. I think you are saying that you ran your Saga with both the Parasound and the Adcom into your Maggie’s, and that your Parasound amp has less resolution than your Adcom. Occam’s Razor in this case, with my interpretation of what you reported, is that the Parasound is the less detailed amp. It might be the better sounding amp in other regards.

 I would also expect that your headphone system is much more detailed than your speaker system, an expected result given the relative investment in each system.

 I have the original Saga, which sports a Sylvania “Bad Boy” 6SN7 GT and sounds terrific. It’s quite detailed, lacking only the organic body and image focus of my Cary SLP05. It is more detailed than other preamps that I’ve owned, including a 1980 vintage Audio Research SP6B. 

boxcarman
405 posts
 

I have owned Adcom amps and preamps.  They were my first separates. I recommend buying better as soon as you can afford it.  

hikaru126's avatar
hikaru126 OP
16 posts
 

Everyone makes good points here. Perhaps comparing headphone resolution to speaker resolution for the same amount of input cost is silly. I had some custom designed Single Driver speakers based on Lii Audio paper cone drivers. They were almost just as picky but I could get the detail I wanted out of them for around the same price ($1000 tube amp and $1500 for the speakers). I should probably just accept what the Maggie’s are good at and that’s midrange and get something like a Conrad Johnson or something. 

sameyers1
138 posts
 

Given your headphone setup I agree with those believing it will be hard to match its resolution and detail with the Maggie LRS. If you want micro detail look at a used Ayre Acoustics K-5xe preamp. It is extremely quiet and detailed without being harsh. It is a balanced preamp, a good match for your system and better than your amp. You should be able to find one in the $1500 range.  I’ve owned one for years and have rarely been tempted to switch. Read some reviews. 

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