2. amps-preamps
  3. 1415789879

K&K Pre amplifier

Kevin at K&K sells a preamp kit under the name Raleigh. I believe that Raleigh is another small manufacturer, whom Kevin works with. I have used his phono kit for some 7 or 8 years now and am more than happy with it, a great unit.

I have been using an ARC reference 75 for over a year now, with a very good passive pre. It is a self build copy of the Music First Audio baby reference, with the same transformers. When I bought the ARC, I briefly compared this unit with the ARC reference 3 pre. It was'nt a proper comparison, but I think I preferred my unit. It does lack a bit in the macro dynamics department though and I am wondering about trying a tubed pre.

Has anyone used the K&K unit, there are'nt any reviews of it I can find. Other suggestions for a unit under $5000, including second hand, would be welcome. Another thought was the Audio Horizons pre, frequently commented on, in this forum.
Thanks David
david12
shakeydeal
979 posts
 
So you don't consider the ARC Reference 3 a "really good tube pre"?

The CJ Premier 17LS, the Lamm LL2, and the Art Audio VPS are what I consider good tube preamps. Oh, and I also had the Cary SLP-98. None of them were as good as a transformer/autoformer line stage. The CJ might have come the closest, but still no cigar.

Shakey
david12 OP
1,454 posts
 
Just my impression about the ARC Ref 3, Shakey and that was in comparison with the Passive Pre. I had a CJ Premier 17 about 10 years ago, a lovely piece of kit.

Thanks for the information about Shindo, I have heard them, but they are hard to find second hand.
maplegrovemusic's avatar
maplegrovemusic
1,113 posts
 
How much did the music first clone cost to build ?
david12 OP
1,454 posts
 
I did'nt make it, I bought it on E-bay from a guy in Hungary. A bit of a risk, but it payed off. It cost me £900, which is less than the cost of the S and B transformers, so it was a bargain. It would certainly be cheaper than buying a Music First Baby reference, if you built it yourself, or got a tech to do it for you. The quality is in the transformers and I suppose how well it is built or soldered. I would have thought it ought to be pretty close to the quality of the Baby reference, if well constructed.
audiozen
831 posts
 
Suggestions for other Preamp's under $5K? Put your brake's on and hold tight for the remarkable, about to be released in December, the Spread Spectrum Technologies Thoebe II Preamp with all the circuit wizardry of legendary circuit designer James Bongiorno. The Thoebe II is about 90% of the Ambrosia performance which has smoked and blown away in the past Preamp's in the $10K to $15K range. For the first time, since Wyred4Sound now owns and builds the Spread Spectrum piece's, one will have the choice of the Wyred4Sound STP-SE 2 Pre upgrade or the much more attractive Thoebe II for $3K. I'd go with the Thoebe II over the Wyred. Nice looking stuff.
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