Tube pre-amps $3500 under to add "warmth"

i visited so many rooms at T.H.E. show and the Venetian, that i may have lost track of some of them.

suffice it to say, i was not impressed with any particular preamp. since i myself am looking for a tube preamp, the situation is disappointing.

i have no preamp in mind that i would really like to audition, although i am thinking about the mcintosh 220.

i will now list some of the preamps that i heard, but i may not be able to provide model numbers:

gill audio, art audio, audio research, melody, navison, modwright, aesthetix, unison, bat, cat, antique sound lab, quad, zanden, granite audio, einstein audio, ayon, artemis labs, von gaylord, consonance, herron and hovland.

the above are all tube products. obviously, there were solid state preamps as well.

you might ask, why haven't i singled out one of these products as worthy of my attention.

the answer is simple. i broght a cd of an acoustic guitar. i was not satisfied with the sound of the guitar on most of the stereo systems i heard at the show.

obviously this is the right thread to discuss these matters. i am looking for a very warm preamp and cd player. i also spoke to the designer of dodd audio and he commented that his preamp is basically neutral.

>>you might ask, why haven't i singled out one of these products as worthy of my attention.<<

You listed some very good equipment. Perhaps you are unrealistic in your expectations and/or your listening skills need refining.

its not that my expectations are unrealistic, or my hearing is deficient, because i visted these rooms with three other people and our observations concurred most of the time.

the problem is that manufacturers are attempting to design very linear components. unfortunately components are not perfect. there are flaws. the flaws usually comprise extra energy in the upper midrange/lower treble which create timbral inaccuracy.

Mrtennis, maybe the room acoustics or partnering equipment and cables were not optimal. Not quite sure why you would want a "syrupy" sound, and my guess is you would tire of it. Try the Atma-Sphere, it just sounds right, and it is fun to listen to. The only sure way is to try the stuff in your own system. Good luck. I have been having a similar problem finding a SS pre to live with.

Mr. Tennis, have you auditioned a Jadis JPL? That might be the sort of thing you're looking for (or, even better, a Jadis JP80 or JPS2 line stage). Jadis is very natural sounding on recordings of acoustic instruments. From my limited auditoning, I'd say that Shindo Labs preamps might also be worthwhile hearing as well.