@miker123 thanks. I also have a PS Audio power plant buty I am not going through it. Maybe I should. Also, my tubes tend not to be a catastrophic failure but get hiss or noisy.
Solid State Preamp to replace tube unit
I currently own a CJ tube preamp. Ive always owned tube preamps and I would like to get my first solid state preamp.I am fed up with buying expensive hard to find tubes that last 3 months or new production tubes with that not so great sound. I pine for consistency. I probably wont sell my CJ I'll just keep it. My power amps are NAD M23 for the summer and CJ Premiere 12's for the winter.
Since I dont dabble in the solid state world I am not sure what to get. I figure since this is my first SS unit 4-5k preowned??. Some brands I have considered CODA< Pass, AYRE, Classe, Bel Canto, Krell etc. Note: I have tried the Parasound and Benchmark but they didnt do it for me. I dont like anayltical sterile sound. If it is a touch warm/colored that is probably good as I am coming from a very warm CJ tube unit.
Must haves are a remote with balance control. Multiple outputs (XLR and RCA). I have an outboard phono pre. Thank you for reading and for your suggestions.
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I sold my VAC Sig and now use the MSB Referece DAC as my pre. Very happy with the move. I also went from an Aesthetix Rhea phono pre to the Pass XP-27. I loved the Rhea but hated feeding it tubes and fighting hum. The Pass sounds as good if not better. I would definitely look at a Pass Labs Pre. Good luck. |
Heillo @jimbones after reading back through this thread and some of the steps you’ve taken so far, and about to take next, there are helpful suggestions by several members here.
One is to ensure you have clean power at the outlet -or- your PS power conditioning unit. Whatever you use. The other is solving your curiosity about running a nice SS preamp, and seeing how that goes comparatively in terms of sound and presentation for you. Maybe there is a 30 day demo in our sights. While I’ve played with some older pass preamps, and after messing around myself, I don’t disagree with @skinzy - something like the XP-27 designed by Wayne Colburn would be nice to try for sure. It commands a real price. I’ve not tested one, yet I’ve chatted with Nelson a few years about the layering and presentation a really good tube amp brings. Comparing to this preamp, and Nelson’s DIY Korg flat tube preamp could be fun too. Nelson told me he has many SS amp customers using his amplifiers with tube preamps on the front end. I use both and rotate, yet always go back to the tube preamp for my own preferences, imaging, layering, etc. In a few cases i’m noting your comments about "tube noise", and your comments about buying some new (as in new re-issue) tubes and trying again. If you purchased tubes from Brent / Andy before, and the tubes tested well, something else comes to mind. Some times tubes get rattled and become compromised in shipping. Also wondering if you’ve tried the other "new" tubes you mentioned, has that helped at all? Local Tech: Re-test your tubes, all of them. Do you have a local tech you can go to around your area, bringing all of your small and large input/driver/output tubes and have them tested to possibly identify any culprits in the bunch contributing to your noted tube noise? Local electrician: If you’ve not already done this, do you have a local electrician who could come in and test your AC outlets to validate if there is noisy power? I had something similar going on years back with my tube system and my other solid state system at the time. I ended up rewiring and replacing outlets, when with a Richard Gray power station for my amps and preamp and the issues disappered fwiw. Some other ideas for thought in finding the root cause, if possible. Best of Luck on the journey. |
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