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!
My suggestion is the Pass Korg B1 Pre Amp. Buying one built by a competent EE, will be the best advised as the approach to a purchase. There are also models now having undergone tweaks to the Circuit and VC. I am familiar with the differing builds that can be produced and am always impressed. This option will keep you well under budget. |
@soix - yes people who have heard the Hifiman headphones (really any variant) Arya, Susvara, SE or HE1000 will know what I’m talking about. Wide soundstage with lots of resolving micro detail. Monitor Audio is supposed to be brighter so would make sense that they would resolve better. I probably got the wrong speakers so have to decide if I just want these for their great midrange. I love the LS3/A variants like the Graham Chartwells as well as Falcon Gold Badges, Harbeths, etc. so maybe that’s where I’ll settle and realize the limitations (or looked at different the strengths) of my current setup. |
I don’t disagree with @soix that your speakers may be part of the problem. I’ve listened to the LRS and didn’t find it as resolving as say an ATC-19 or an Aerial Acoustics 5T, both in the $4k range new so you’d be looking at used. They are both stand mount or bookshelf speakers suited to an apartment. But I do think the preamp is also part of the problem. |
In the 1980’s when I was getting into high end audio I swapped preamps looking for a good sounding preamp. After half a dozen failed attempts I bought my first (used) Audio Research preamp. My swapping immediately ended. I had that preamp for fifteen years. A few years later adding an Audio Research phonostage. I have researched and upgraded my system many times and piece by piece ended up with more Audio Research components. Once, I put one in, it stays, except to upgrade to a higher tier. Audio Research from the beginning has focused on natural musical sound with detail… hence the words high definition written on their components. But unlike many brands that have lost the music in pursuit of detail and slam ARC has carefully walked down the knife edge, not losing the musical core while increasing resolution and black backgrounds. They are built like tanks with intended lifetimes in the decades. All of my main system is now Audio Research. Highly recommended. Do not waste your time on ASR. The site focuses on graphs and chart of parameters that obfuscate what components actually sound like to the human ear. The site will point you in the wrong direction if you want high quality sound. Look at used Audio Research LS or REF series preamps, as contemporary as you can afford. You can see my systems under my User ID. |
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