Tube Preamplifier Time


First of all I'd like to say thanks to all you guys that contribute and share opinions on hi-fi gear as well as all the wonderfull music you've listened to. My musical tastes are all over the map including progressive rock, experimental & classic jazz, and I've just recently ventured into the wide world of clasical. I cant quite explain it but the mood that the latter style mentioned puts me in is completely different than that of any other musical enjoyment I've experienced. My setup currently consists of a pair of Thiel CS2.4 spks, Krell
KAV-A150a amplifier, Rotel RCD-1072, and a Marantz AV-550 preamp/processor all in a dedicated room w/9x10X11ft. dimensions. I guess the question that I have is what would you consider replacing the preamp with in a system like this that I've put together? I think that currently it plays to great enjoyment for my ears but have heard tubed preamps and no doubt want the company. Upon listening to a few models more than a year ago with no cash to purchase at the time I decided for example that the VTL5.5 was more up my alley than say a CarySL98(I believe that's the model) due to how warm the cary sounded. I would prefer to keep the cost below 3K if at all possible

Thanks ahead, Chris

velocityofhue
Thank you everyone for your reccomendation of a preamplifier to try out with my setup. Now the good news is that I live in nyc and can somewhat search these models out for listening sessions.

Enjoy the music! Chris

Liked the sound of VTL's 5.5 preamp during an in store demo and went out and bought my first piece of used gear from the site here. The first thing that entered my mind once playing the first cd inserted was, Oh man this is going to become a habit were I dont want it to! In that it drastically changed the overall sound of the system from what the marantz ss AV-550 pre I'd always owned and used since purchasing my first piece of hi-end equipment which is the Krell amp I've had for 7yrs. I guess the best way to describe the additional enjoyment the new preamp brings is that Bass had always just been a thump or tap to my ears whereas it's now felt with weight, texture and authority. Brass and violins have certainly been tamed down a bit and have a seamlessness layered feel from the high pitched noises that the marantz produced. So far and it's only been about 3hrs. of listening I find my self looking for details and clarity that were easier heard on the Marantz. The sound now has a warmth and instruments appear rounded off in detail where I'm struggling to hear everything on the recording. Maybe this is a low in trade for the strong points of tube technology. Perhaps I should play at louder levels? I think that their might be an impedence issue as one of the gentlemen over at VTL said the 5.5 would better match with my Krell amp. I havent changed the tubes or even checked to see if the units biased properlly which could be the reason for what I'm hearing but I doubt it. Just need to get used to this new sound which I feel really does bring me much nearer to a live music performance Chris
Chris,
I used to own a VTL 5.5. I don't think there is a need to bias the unit. Certainly, impedance matching with the amplifier is an important consideration. I replaced my VTL 5.5 with an Audio Horizons TP 2.0nB because, apparently like you, I wanted the sound of tubes but also a sound that is well articulated and detailed.
At this time, I think there are better preamplifier choices for low wattage SET amps. That said, my TP preamp matches beautifully with my VTL MB 185s. Other users have reported similar results with other amplifiers (both tube and solid state). You may want to experiment by using the Audio Horizons free trial period. The Audio Horizons preamp can be purchased new for under $3K.
Velocityofhue,
If I read your post correctly it sounds like you auditioned a VTL 5.5 at a dealer and then bought one on Audiogon. That's a pretty big no-no ethically speaking. If a dealer is spending the time and effort to set up demos for you he should be rewarded for his services. Otherwise you're just wasting his valuable time. If I somehow mis-understood you and this isn't what happened please accept my apologies. And whatever the case may be I still hope that you enjoy your new preamp.
If, as it appears to be the case, the original poster auditioned in a brick and mortar store then bought on-line, I have quite a different hope than expressed by Jond above. I hope the thing craps out and he as no recourse --that would be both justice served and a good lesson as to why one should purchase from dealers. The dealers I've dealt with have also serviced their products and I've never had to do any heavy lifting or pay anything for a repair.