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  3. 1250088527

Wyred 4 Sound STP-SE Preamp

Who has purchased one of these preamps (either the SE version or the non-SE version).

What do you think of this preamp? Passive up to a certain point then active. I have got to assume that at my listening levels, I would probably fall into the passive almost all of the time. I read the review on 6Moons, but to be honest, (1) it really didn't say much of anything about the performance and (2) I am not so sure I have very much faith in the reviewer. The review seemed to cover more about the build approach to this piece and offered no real comparisons with regard to sound performance.

Any comments on how this unit performs (passive and active) in terms of:
Sound temperature (warmish, coolish, completely neutral)
Body, texture, emotion experiences
Sound staging - airy, focused, defined, wide, deep, forward, congestion with certain types of music or volume levels, etc. . .
Accuracy at the different frequencies, macros and micros

Any comments in general? Recommendations and comparisons would be great.

Reference:
Amp = Krell FPB 300C
Sources = Northstar CD transport or Logitech/slim device duet going to DCS Purcell and Delius
Speakers = Wilson W/P 5.1

Also considering: Ayre (V5e), Pass (X1 or XP10), ARC (15 or 16 or 26), Calypso (previously owned & loved), JRDG Capri (previously owned, very good).

Thanks very much in advance for your opinions.
ckoffend
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
I'm also looking for some time at wyred equipment, but the fact of having 'Passive upto a certain point then active' did not atract my eye. I prefer either active or passive i.e. having a gain switch. It might be a perfect match for their amplifiers with high input impedance but might not match to other equipment. Unfortunately the restocking fee is 15% so you'd better check your amp's input impedance before considering Wyred.
poul
3 posts
 
Marakanetz,your concern about passive to active circuit is excactly what I asked the 6Moons reviewer about. Here is his response:
"A few people are confused about the concept of no gain but active circuitry behind it. It's very different from the Music First concept. The W4S doesn't care at what volume setting you use it. It does its magic anywhere. The Esoteric C-03 is the same. These pieces perform impedance stabilization and run off high supply voltage rails to guarantee current, color and drive so they're most defnitely not passive even though they have no gain. The Nelson Pass First Watt F4 has no gain either and is a power amp that drives speakers with an iron first. So you need to first understand the concept to stop assuming that there is any similarity to your preamp in terms of being passive -.)"
I know our understanding is shaped by the description in the adds, so you might find his closer a little sharp in tone, while his understanding is likely correct. I myself would want to see second opinions with other equipment and or tastes.
ckoffend OP
684 posts
 
Poul, thanks for that info. That is the gist I got from my bit of research on the preamp. Have you been researching the preamp or just inquired out of curiosity?

Anybody own one yet who cares to offer comments and comparisons?
narrod
1,064 posts
 
"So you need to first understand the concept to..."

I would offer that it is up to the manufacturer and, by extension, the reviewer to explain the concept in a clear and understandable way.
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
I'm not realy confused about having no gain at all. I'm just trying to learn the concept of having a variable gain. Intrigued another words. If 'it is what it is', the preamp might stand for its price as a complex logic device no doubt. I realy wish it had some phono boards.
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