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!
I think I’d 86 the Maggi’s and went with a cone based speaker with either a ribbon or beryllium tweeter, you’ll probably be a lot closer to that headphone crispness you’re looking for. Fritz Audio Philharmonic BMR or best case scenario…Have Soundfield Audio Custom Make you a set of speakers like the MMW’s… Call AJ and discuss your tastes and needs… Not as much as you think. Any of these should certainly will get you closer than Maggi’s to your headphones you’re using as your reference. I just got rid of my Maggi .7’s… I fed them lost of Hi Current Power and still No Attack, No the Slam I was jonesing for, sure they sounded good but dull. Nothing wrong with the sound Maggi’s project, lots of folks love em, thought I would, but panels just didn’t work for me. |
@g2the2nd - I plan on getting a Sublime 531. I plan on setting a -24db slope for 50hz. I want to pair it with dual Rel T Zeroes. I know also upgrading the crossover with better components should improve clarity. @saboros - I’m kind of the same point. I think the Mark II has more power but the 545 was so good. Detailed and only when driven hard does it sound harsh and Maggie’s are meant to be driven hard. I guess stuff like Monitor Audio would have been more detailed but I would have had to spend 2 or 3x more to get the naturalness and soundstage these guys have. @skiznfliz - I’ve heard Martin Logan Tweeters and those are exceptionally detailed but I find they get fatiguing after a while even with a McIntosh front end but maybe if I paired it with some like a Conrad Johnson it would be worth looking at again. I’ve heard the Philharmonics are a great value. What amp do you have paired with them? I feel like you need something more lush to counteract the tweeter.
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