Looking for warm, rich, euphonic tube preamp, must pair well with pass power amp (Budget $6000-7000)

[tobiasrankin]

Right now I have an ARC ref5se and its nice but looking for something of similar quality but warmer (maybe Vac, CJ or something you think will fit well). Looking for smooth sound, full mid range. My focus is on rich tone and not neutrality. I would prefer something without any phono.

Thanks!

 

[Sablon Audio]

I don’t know about the match with your power amp, however I have never heard a bad word said about Shindo preamps.

 

[Solypsa]

Just out of curiosity 'no phono' because you are digital only or because you have a phono preamp you like?

 

[bazelio]

Manley Neo-Classic 300B Preamplifier RC — Manley Laboratories, Inc.

Manley Labs' most esoteric product is THE 300B PREAMPLlFIER.

www.manley.com

The Manley 300B preamp would probably be right up your alley. To double down on lush midrange, find a pair of NOS Marconi 6SL7 tubes for it. And try these 300B tubes in it as well.

 

[tobiasrankin]

Just out of curiosity 'no phono' because you are digital only or because you have a phono preamp you like?

Cause digital only.

 

[tobiasrankin]

Manley Neo-Classic 300B Preamplifier RC — Manley Laboratories, Inc.

Manley Labs' most esoteric product is THE 300B PREAMPLlFIER.

www.manley.com

The Manley 300B preamp would probably be right up your alley. To double down on lush midrange, find a pair of NOS Marconi 6SL7 tubes for it. And try these 300B tubes in it as well.

I haven't really looked into Manley yet, going to read more, thanks!

So far I got my eye on Jadis, Vac and Cary.

 

[thedudeabides]

Do not leave out CJ. You may prefer the vintage models versus the current, which tend to be more neutral sonically.

 

[Solypsa]

Cause digital only.

Ah OK.

Perhaps if you are 'one digital source' iow DAC then considering the budget and utility of DAC and preamp together at once might make your commendably specific search requirement easier to fulfill?

 

[tobiasrankin]

Do not leave out CJ. You may prefer the vintage models versus the current, which tend to be more neutral sonically.

Which Vintage CJ would you recommend? Premier 17 maybe?

 

[Gregadd]

sounds like a classic el 34 tube. From a vintage perspective ARC Sp 10,CJ PV 9.

 

[BlueFox]

Forget the tubes and find a used Pass XP-20. Preferably with an upgraded interconnect cable. If you can manage a few more dollars then get a Pass XP-22 preamp. You won’t look back.

 

[Ron Resnick]

To solve your equation I recommend the conrad-johnson PV11L. (The "L" version is line stage + control only; no phono stage.). I suspect that a higher level conrad-johnson line stage of the same era would be an even better choice.

I enjoyed a PV11 (with phono stage) for many years prior to getting an Aesthetix Io.

For something of current manufacture I think you would like the Aesthetix Callisto.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Forget the tubes and find a used Pass XP-20. Preferably with an upgraded interconnect cable. If you can manage a few more dollars then get a Pass XP-22 preamp. You won’t look back.

What is the point of admonishing Tobias that he does not know what he wants, and of answering a question that he consciously did not ask?

 

[Gregadd]

We have this identity crisis in audio.
Tubes trying to be more solid state and solid state trying to be like tubes. Digital trying to be more analog. I for one fell in love with hybrids(Moscode 402 au)
If you are looking for tubey solid state there are better options than Pass. Rowland Research for example.
For the ultimate example of lush I had the Cj pv5 and mv 50.

 

[thedudeabides]

To solve your equation I recommend the conrad-johnson PV11L. (The "L" version is line stage + control only; no phono stage.). I suspect that a higher level conrad-johnson line stage of the same era would be an even better choice.

Thanks Ron,

I am now on my third CJ pre and suffice to say, I am a big CJ fan. Do not have any experience with the recent vintage models but I think your recommend is spot on. The OP can always do some research (Jeff Dorgey has reviewed most of them) to hopefuly determine the progression from warm to more neutral.

 

[Asa]

Good recomm's above...maybe a Joule Electra LA-100 or 200 MkIII? Could get one used for about $2K and save yourself some dough to upgrade elsewhere. Or Shindo, of course...

 

[Gregadd]

Sorry. I think the el34 is a power tube. For a preamp I, think iyd s 12ax7

 

[LL21]

Right now I have an ARC ref5se and its nice but looking for something of similar quality but warmer (maybe Vac, CJ or something you think will fit well). Looking for smooth sound, full mid range. My focus is on rich tone and not neutrality. I would prefer something without any phono.

Thanks!

As a long time CJ preamp owner...21 years consecutively from PV14L to ACT to GAT 1 to GAT 2...I am a huge fan. Given your description, I have to say Shindo is quite a special preamp...unbelievably quiet/low noise floor by any standard 119db signal to noise ratio or something outrageous like that. And the voicing makes Clapton absolutely glorious. It took me a while to get the measure of it...I 'think' in comparison, on orchestral the Shindo very slightly 'edged forward' some of the strings which drew me back to the CJ which seemed relatively more even handed.

But again, given your description above, on Clapton, having his voice just ever so subtly pushed gently forward/emphasized a hair...brought him into real life in a pretty convincing way. Was it artifice? Perhaps...but on Clapton where reproduction is by definition artifice trying to replicate reality...does one care? Shindo is very very special in this way. The Massetto one of its more basic forms is spectacular and was every bit the match for the ACT at that time.

 

[cal3713]

I was in a similar situation to you, digital only, with Pass/First Watt amplification (F4 monos), and a bias towards harmonic sweetness over clinical accuracy. After researching preamp designs, I decided DHT was the way to go. It is the simplest signal path possible, pure and sweet with the DHT/SET tubes. Just a couple of resistors and the tubes. Unfortunately there are not many options in that space because of the difficulties in making low noise solutions... you need quality parts and must be very careful not to introduce noise into the tubes, usually requiring dual chassis designs. In the end I commissioned my own piece from Radu Tarta of Shiney Eyes Audio.

Below is a link to my pre. It blew away my 6sn7 based unit (the Don Sachs preamp). Radu was easy to work with and charges a very reasonable fee for the build. He is orders of magnitude cheaper (and with higher parts quality) than the traditional consumer options.

https://simplepleasuretubeamps.com/2020/12/30/shiny-eyes-eml20a-preamplifier/

 

[thedudeabides]

I appreciate threads like this as does the OP. It really exemplifies the extensive knowledge and experience of forum members. However, the bottom line is that one component does not create the overall sonic signature of any system. I am sure that we can all agree that the system sound is a sum of all of its many parts and depends on a complex myriad of variables.