Opportunity to buy the best Preamp... but which?

So the 'best' does not exist? I have a challenge for you then.

I can easily point out an area where preamp performances differ- and where listening preferences will favor the preamp that measures better: the ability to drive interconnect cables.

I think it is fairly well agreed that interconnect cables affect the sound. But what if you could create a way to eliminate the interaction that the cable has in the system in such a way that the cable would perform even better (this also means that you could use a cheaper cable, BTW)? Now add the ability to drive long distances, such that you can place the front end of the system where you want it, and yet place your monoblocks as close to your speakers so as to keep the speaker cable length down, and you get the idea.

The system for doing all that was created nearly 60 years ago. It was introduced to high end audio about 1989. Most high end preamp manufacturers have not grasped what it is about, and so there is a lot of variance in this area. This is the ability to drive low impedance balanced lines.

Since the high end has had such a problem understanding what the benefits of balanced lines are, the result has been a fair amount of mediocrity, price no object.

So- in the face of that, is the 'best' something that does not exist (and thus denying the meaning of the word)? Or is it simply the case that not everyone has heard everything, and that combined with so much mediocrity has caused none to stand out??

06-28-07: Atmasphere
So the 'best' does not exist?

Well I think 'the best' does exist in many different forms. What is 'the best' to one may not be 'the best' to another. So I would say there is no 'absolute best', that is one that everyone WILL agree on, but there are many preamps out there that some will SAY is the best. Synergy, room interactions, and musical preferences probably have a lot to do with the reason why there is no one absolute best.

Same way with most things in life, different tastes in people, cars, vacation spots, or even ice cream flavors. There is no absolute best on any of these items, why should preamps be any different?

John

So- if there is no 'best', doesn't it seem that there are a lot of manufacturers *saying* they have the best? I agree they can't all be right :)

Seems to me also that this got covered in another thread.

But still I find myself wondering- if someone in fact had a genuine breakthrough in preamp technology, something that was so much better that it would be obvious to anyone in 5 seconds of listening, what would that look like? Would that be the best then? or is it still subject to the 'versions of vanilla' phenom?

This would appear to allow someone in my position to make all sorts of claims about gear that could not be quantified- or denied. And a manufacturer like say, Sony, for example, could make the identical claims on a preamp that is no-where near the same capability.

So I guess what I am saying is there is no integrity in throwing up one's collective hands and saying there is no 'best'. I think to handle the situation with integrity one would have to admit that there is the *possibility* that this or that preamp is the best, whereas in the same breath there will be other preamps that *cannot possibly* be best.

Would that be a more accurate statement?

06-28-07: Atmasphere
So- if there is no 'best', doesn't it seem that there are a lot of manufacturers *saying* they have the best? I agree they can't all be right :)

Seems to be an awful lot of pizza manufacturers saying 'You've tried all the rest, now try the best', no? They can't all be right can they? Anyone can make a claim, as no one owns the copyright to the word 'Best', AFAIK.
So go ahead and make the claim Ralph, maybe it'll even boost sales. ;^)

As for your last statement, I don't know. I'm sure somewhere there is a Sony preamp owner that feels his preamp is the best. I don't think it's safe to assume that you can find anything in audio that someone, somewhere won't claim is the 'best'. I think the word 'best' is really overused and meaningless at this point. Just like there is no one 'Best' man, only many different folks opinions of who the 'Best' man really is. 8-)

Cheers,
John

Cheers,
John

The absolute best preamp does not exist any more than the absolute sound does, with the exception of the magazine that owns that title. Too many variables interact to produce countless impressions and outcomes. With all of the colorations out there---especially those of every instrument and component---the most meaningful scenario of best comes in the form of a question: "What will constitute the best match for my system in terms of the kind of sound that satisfies me most ?" And that doesn't even come close to a definitive and/or collective notion of best.