Please help, need inexpensive preamp

BIZILL

...for my buddy who just purchased his sda-srs from szhleppy. right now he's using a receiver (as my lazy **** is) and he's connected to his amp via the receiver's "zone 2" output that for some damn reason acts like a pass-through, meaning he cannot even control the volume with the receiver nor bass/treble adjustments (to tame the sl2000's), and don't ask me why as i'm at a loss.

i finally understand why many wish to change out the sl2000's for the rdo-194's. but for now, that's not an option. between his cd changer/receiver/amp, it's bright as all get up and he's not ready for dedicated 2 channel, as i am not, being i still run through a receiver as well.

anyway, i need to find him an inexpensive pre, current or vintage, that sounds half-way decent and offers bass/TREBLE control and utilizes a REMOTE CONTROL! i'm trying to keep him under $200 as wifey may bust his balls after purchasing his sda-srs's. and heck, this may very well persuade me to get my own darn pre-amp finally as well, though i'd have to spend much more to fit in with ya'll polk folk.

i was researching cheaper end, but then stumbled across the likes of an adcom gfp-715, but that's outside the price range. anyway, brand is of little importance, so long as the pre integrates into his system well enough. hopefully under $200-$250.

any suggestions, my friends?

bluecomet

I have a complete SAE Two system which includes Amp that puts out 200 watts per channel at 4 ohms, a great pre amp, digital receiver and 3 band parametric EQ for $200 plus shipping. It is vintage and does not have a remote. It is in very good condition. I used to have this set up with my old SDA SRS speakers. Very nice sound, just bypass the EQ with SDA speakers. This system sounded excellent with Monitor 10's. Food for thought.

BIZILL

thanks blue, but i'm really trying to get him something with a remote. i know most of you two channel folk don't always dig remote controls and such, but for me, it's a MUST. i sit and listen to music and have so many distractions that i need something to modulate the volume on a whim. phone calls, kids, pets, company comes over and not to mention some lower/higher volume recordings and the such all dictate the need for a remote.

George Grand

I don't know if you're a member over there, but at AK's "Barter Town" there is a NAD 1600 in Connecticut for $150 + ship, with manual and remote.
If you're not a subscriber ($25 annual), Barter Town won't even show up on the forums you can access.

Pycroft

PM sent Bizill.

dane_peterson

Did you see my ad for the Harman Kardon 3490? This would be a PERFECT option.

BIZILL

dane_peterson wrote: »

Did you see my ad for the Harman Kardon 3490? This would be a PERFECT option.

might be perfect. but i'll have to ask if he's got enough room in his wall console. what are the measurements of that h/k? and how much shipped? is the remote clean or is it all fudged with finger sludge?

i'm still under the impression that a dedicated pre vs a "receiver" is supposed to have a bit better sound, depending on model, of course? my adcom and then sda's are feed by an h/k avr7300 i'm using as a pre because i am too cheap to sell it for, well, cheap and don't want to hassle with shipping it. otherwise, i'd like to try the infamous adcom gfp-750 in my own rig.

szhleppy

BIZILL wrote: »

i'm still under the impression that a dedicated pre vs a "receiver" is supposed to have a bit better sound, depending on model, of course? my adcom and then sda's are feed by an h/k avr7300 i'm using as a pre because i am too cheap to sell it for, well, cheap and don't want to hassle with shipping it. otherwise, i'd like to try the infamous adcom gfp-750 in my own rig.

I'm not sure that's necessarily the case...I think you will have an easier time finding an AVR with pre-outs than a dedicated pre.

dane_peterson

BIZILL wrote: »

might be perfect. but i'll have to ask if he's got enough room in his wall console. what are the measurements of that h/k? and how much shipped? is the remote clean or is it all fudged with finger sludge?

i'm still under the impression that a dedicated pre vs a "receiver" is supposed to have a bit better sound, depending on model, of course? my adcom and then sda's are feed by an h/k avr7300 i'm using as a pre because i am too cheap to sell it for, well, cheap and don't want to hassle with shipping it. otherwise, i'd like to try the infamous adcom gfp-750 in my own rig.

Try it side-by-side with a pre for $120 and tell me the pre sounds better. 6.5" tall, 17.5" wide, 15" deep. $25 for shipping. Remote is clean, but I'll wipe it down just for you. :P

hearingimpared

Try to find a higher up the chain NAD pre. I can't remember the model numbers but they will certainly tame those shrill, bright highs of the SL2000s. They come up cheap all the time. The one mentioned by GG would be a good bet.

heiney9

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103885

This is a great preamp for the money. Plus sold by a good Polkie.

H9

billbillw

heiney9 wrote: »

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103885

This is a great preamp for the money. Plus sold by a good Polkie.

H9

Thanks for the push, but the RL11 doesn't have tone controls. Also, I believe Russ is going to grab it from me.

TNRabbit

Here ya go:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Carver-CT-17-Preamp-Sonic-Holography-surround-sound-/190414440588?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c5595c88c

BIZILL

yeah, keith tells me the sda's sound phenomenal as is, but i heard harsh/brittle and i believe it to be the yamaha amp he's running. i ran the same exact set of sda's in my house driven only by my h/k avr7300 and didn't deem it to be harsh at all. h/k is known for warm sound though.

keep the suggestions coming and dane, i'll have to tag team and ask if that'll fit in his system. i'm stuck at work right now so i can't do much if anything today and this cat is a busy fella. thanks thus far everyone.

BIZILL

i know, i know, persuade him to upgrade his amp, but the yammy has balls, just bright. very very bright.

heiney9

BIZILL wrote: »

i know, i know, persuade him to upgrade his amp, but the yammy has balls, just bright. very very bright.

Yep, that's that "natural sound" the marketing dept. talks about :rolleyes:. Never cared much for Yamaha power sections and balls, never heard a Yammy that had balls. Perhaps a few vintage pieces have balls that I've heard.

YMMV

H9

P.s. Keep woking on him to get some "new" power.

bluecomet

My Yamaha MX 1000 amp has balls. Vintage Yamaha from the late 80's and early 90's are good bang for the buck today.

heiney9

bluecomet wrote: »

My Yamaha MX 1000 amp has balls. Vintage Yamaha from the late 80's and early 90's are good bang for the buck today.

I knew this would start a debate. I was more or less commenting with the OP, let's stay on topic so this doesn't get too far off the intended path.

Nobody likes their baby called ugly.

H9

Ricardo

My dog had balls. Then the vet castrated him. No more balls.

BIZILL

balls may have been giving too much credit, rather i will say it is "able" but not "ample". it's an older model and not current. definately gonna force him to spend some coin in time. but it will take time and need a quick fix for the time being.

jrgoswick

May not be EXACTLY what you're looking for in a pre, BUT Onkyo makes a few and you can almost ALWAYS get them cheap on the bay. Just a thought.

F1nut

Ricardo wrote: »

My dog had balls. Then the vet castrated him. No more balls.

One of my brothers had the biggest cat I've ever seen. Had a floppy ear, one eye and no balls. Answered to the name Lucky.