Pre Amp or Amp Best Money Spent

Clearly you need an amp to properly drive your speakers, BUT what come before the amp, the preamp and what comes before that, the source...it is all a balancing act and results in a "system" given fixed funds, assuming your source is up to snuff, a better preamp into a good but modest amp will IMHO sound better.

I have multiple systems and time and time again have tried many combos, and I always come away with a better sound fueled by a better preamp/modest amp combo.

12-03-07: Bob_reynolds
It seems to me that your budget for electronics is way too high for your Vandy speakers. A simple NAD integrated, like the C370, will get all they have to deliver. Spending more on electronics won't get you anything, IMO. If you want to spend more money, then add a subwoofer.

Any speaker, including a model from Radio Shack, will sound better with better electronics driving them. So I couldn't disagree more with Bob's assertion that the NAD integrated "will get all they have to deliver".

That said, Bob does have a point in questioning the budget allocation toward each part of your system. Spending bigger dollars on a Rogue amp and preamp raises the question of whether that money would have been better spent on the superior 2Ce Sig or vastly superior 2Ce Sig mkII.

Also, the quality level of both the preamplifier and power matter and should be optimized for the best overall results, but assuming that a choice had to be made on which is more sonically significant, it would be the preamp. This assumes that an asinine choice isn't made for either component.

I'm a Vandersteen and Rogue dealer.

Dave Mitchell, do you think these amp pairings are good choices. I have also considered an Mc mc105 150 watts then pairing with a tube pre. Just so many choices. I understand the principles but don't have the experience to pull the trigger and I would like to hear some MUSIC soon. I reieced the speakers as gifts and they do have great reviews. So what amp do would you choose, Mono 120,90, Atlas or the Mac. The money is about 400 difference. Which pre to synergize. thanks

I think the better preamp is more important, as Narrod said "In general, the preamp will have more effect on sound than the the amp (as long as the speakers have enough power)." So yes the amp/speaker interface is absolutely critical and must be accounted for - the amp must have enough power to drive the speaker, but that should be easily accomplished. Finding a great preamplifer is more difficult. Sure a great preamp and an underpowered, underdamped amp (for 2CEs) won't be so great, but finding a competent amplifier with enough power should not prove too challenging. For Vandersteen 2Ces within a relatively modest price range, I would go with a McCormack 100 watt SS and a tube preamp, maybe an Audible Illusions 3A or the higher end Rogue, or the lower priced Modwright - all three of which should be available used on Audiogon, or of course, can be purchased new. While VS can sound great with tubes, you need a pretty hefty tube amp as the VS are not the friendliest tube impedance loads. It will sound a lot better than an NAD entry level intgrated.