Coincident Linestage vs CJ CT5 or Allnic L-3000

Jeff,
Even solid state? (Smile).

Jordan/Germanboxers,
Need clarification...did you replace your Concert Fidelity CF-080LSX2 Preamp with the Coincident Audio Statement Linestage? If so, could you please let me know the difference in sound, and why you preferred one over the other?

4orreal - yes, I had both in my system at the same time for several months. I owned the CSL and then purchased the CF with the eye toward a remote control linestage without taking a step backward in sound quality from the CSL. I intended to replace my remote volume controlled DAC with one that did not have remote volume. For the curious, with the remote volume DAC, the CSL positively impacted the sound quality compared to running the DAC directly into my Audion amps (that is long separate story in itself).

The CF reveals a great many details, is transparent, very dynamic, and also appears fast (focus on transients). It does not leach tone, nor does it romanticize the midrange. I sold the CF when it became apparent that I was going to stay with my remote volume DAC, making the CF a costly luxury.

I don't think the CSL gives up anything to the CF. The CF tended to better resolve the initial transient at minor expense to the note and decay. For this reason it was sometimes more *startling*. Still, for balance and naturalness across the spectrum, the CSL is hard to beat anywhere near its price. The CF did have a very fine pervasive grain that I began to associate (possibly incorrectly?) with the coupling capacitor the CF uses.

In an ironic twist, I have now ended up with a DAC without volume control, the Luxman DA-06. I've worked around the issue by using the excellent volume control in JRiver running on my CAPSv3 server. Movies and concert videos, on the other hand, require me to raise my butt off the chair, walk across the room, bend over, and adjust the volume on the CSL. How do you CSL'ers and other non remote VC'ers deal with this burden??? ;-) My wife sure has made me soft!! I used to be a Spartan before I met her! ;-)

Jwm - I have always been interested in the VAC IIa Sig linestage. I'm surprised the Absolare was so convincingly better. The Absolare is certainly at the pinnacle of linestages, but I assumed the VAC IIa Sig would be relatively close, if not just of a different taste?

Do you still maintain the WE845 tubes to be well worth the extra $$

Thanks,
Jordan

Don't get me wrong the VAC is great its just not as transparent or quiet as the Absolare. I think the WE845 tubes are great. I like them much better than the original RCA 845 tubes.

Jordan, I've never used a preamp in my main rig that had a remote. You don't miss what you never had. Plus, my vacations consist of daily 12-20 mile hikes, so I don't think much about the 15 ft from my chair to the CSL. For me the adjustment, which I made long ago, was going from infinitely variable pots to stepped attenuation. That took a while to get used to.