Preamp upgrade Question for the RTi 12's

naturallight

I'd love to get a tube preamp for the 12's. Just to see what it sounds like. I Can't afford an Acoustic Research, so i'm looking at alot cheaper stuff. I found Vincent Audio. An SA-31 Hybrid preamp for $600.
Dose anybody know anything about the pre? Have used it, or know anybody that has one?

The reviews seem good, but you never know. Any info would be great.

tonyb

There is a very sweet Cary slp30 pre in our own for sale section, you won't do better for 4 bones.

naturallight

Thanks tonyb, looks like a nice unit. But i have to save up for this. So i'm looking at a good month or so, before i can buy anything. My thinking is with a tube preamp, and the Jolida, between the 2, may take some of the "digital" out of the CD's and come up with a warmer "analog" sound.
But in any case can't hurt.
The Adcom pre is very old, it is by most account's pretty neutral, but it is also kind of sterile. The other issue thats coming up with the 12's is the cd's. In running thru my collection, fortunately most are recorded pretty well. Some on the other hand, just need some adjustment to make them better. The bass and treble control can deal with that. A little tweak here and there can make them much better. So i'm looking for a tube preamp that has those controls, which the Vincent dose.

But some...there just may be no hope for. I put on 1 cd yesterday that i knew was never done very well. It was passable played on a car stereo.
But on the 12's. It may be so compressed(the only thing i can think of) it sounds like you threw a blanket over the 12's.

I was never a big fan of digital recordings. But since the cost of vinyl is double, if not more, of what it used to be...that and the care and maintenance of records, so you don't get pop's and scratches, I've kind of had to go with the "digital" flow, sorta speak...LOL

I'm hoping a tube preamp will help with this. The 12's "again i have to use the nasty word accurate" show up bad source material.
Even on the beat to death old SDA's, some of these cd's were never very good. But the SDA's are a more laid back speaker, present a different sound stage. The 12's pretty much throw it in your face, that the cd's were not recorded very well.