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Passive Pre - No Regrets?

I'm interested in hearing from folks who have moved from a high quality active preamp (I'm currently using a CAT SL1 Ulitmate)to a passive preamp and have had no regrets. I'm particularly interested in hearing from those that have switched to a Placette or Sonic Euphoria (the two I'm considering). I'm using a CAT JL2 Amp feeding Merling VSM-MX.
pubul57
tbg
5,263 posts
 
I know you don't want to hear it, but I have tried five passive units over the last ten years. In each case, I gave up and went back to active units to get back the pace and dynamics of music.

I grant that there is a purity to passive units, but I cannot take them for very long.
sogood51
2,157 posts
 
I had a transformer based passive for a while, (Bent Audio TVC)..."extreamly good sound" untill I made many system changes, ie...amp, speakers, and new (much larger) room. This caused my move back to an active preamp a couple of years ago.

I'm now using a tubed preamp (Audioprism Mantissa)...like Bob above, I'm "more" than happy with the Mantissa preamp I now have in place of the passive.

So, in answer to your "regrets" question...I had no regrets going passive...and no regrets (now), after going back to active

Dave
flg2001's avatar
flg2001
543 posts
 
I have had 4 passive preamps and many active ones, the passive line goes from First Sound to Axiom, I am currently using a Monolithic Passive in the meantime I receive my new preamp (active again).

Passive preamps (as noted above from others) are very transparent, fast and revealing units, only top-end preamps (Metaxas, ML or Gryphon) come close in those regards, unfortunatly for me my new systems need of the work of an active preamp to bring more roundness, dynamics and soundstaging (yes - sonic artifcats at the end).

Good luck

Fernando
tarsando
578 posts
 
I have found that a good compromise is a passive-aggressive preamp. It's kind of the best of both worlds, only more.
nanotweeter
55 posts
 
I currently have both a Placette balanced RVC and a balanced PLC Sonic Euphoria preamp feeding NuForce Ref9.02 amps from the balanced outputs of a Marantz SA-11S1 CDP. I have compared both at length over the past 6 months against each other. I have found that the PLC sounds best to me with either my Triangle Antals or Dali Ikon 6 speakers. The RVC sounds better with my Paradigm Studio 60s. I attribute this to the PLC having better low frequency output which compliments the limited bass Antals and Dali 6s better. And the faster speed of the carbon drivers in these speakers makes up for the somewhat slower pace and more rounded nature of the PLC. On the other hand I think the RVC itself sounds faster with more detail than the PLC and creates a better synergy with the slower but better bass providing Studio 60's. When I ran the 60s with the PLC it sounded a bit congested and heavy while the RVC with the Antals or Ikons sounded too transparent and analytic. I would say, therefore, that it will depend mostly upon your system components and will even vary from recording to recording. I had only planned on holding onto one passive, but find I like them both in their own ways and still can't decide which to keep. They are both great units. Maybe after my next upgrade to "better" speakers I'll make that decision?
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