Receiver with pre outs or preamp

Realistic

Hi guys some of you know I am waiting for my new to me hca 1500 to get to its new home and I would like your thoughts on what to drive it with. I have a 1977 Lafayette LR-9090 receiver that I installed pre out and main in rca jacks that I will be using for now, I love that receiver. My question is do I use a vintage receiver with pre outs or a vintage or modern preamp? If I go the vintage receiver route I was thinking Marantz, for vintage preamp I was thinking luxman, onkyo integra or Yamaha. For newer I have no Idea, all of you here were such a great help with the amplifier I would like your input again. Thank you for looking. Bob.

tonyb

Comes down to a matter of preferences is all....and budget. If you want to use a vintage receiver, which are typically warmer sounding, and mating it to a warmer sounding amp like the HCA 1500, you might possibly get an overly warm sound in the end. Of course the speakers and cables will play a part as well.

Depends on many things, your goals.....HT and music, do you need HDMI and modern processing or is this strictly 2 channel listening.

boston1450

If your gonna use a receiver i would try different ones. Recently i had a amp not being used & then tried a receiver (same brand) & when i used the receiver as a pre - it really sounded terrible. So i ended up getting a preamp.... EDIT-The receiver by itself sounds very good too. Not all receivers with hookups sound good as preamps

motorhead43026

I have two modern Marantz AVR's with preouts. My P5 outperforms both in all aspects, most noticeably in the bass department.

skrol

I ran my Parasound amps with the pre-outs from my Denon DRA-835R receiver for a while and it was ok but lacked something. The Denon actually sounds better with its internal amp but I didn't trust it driving the LSi15's.

I snagged a Parasound PLD-1100 and the sound really opened up and I am loving the system. You can usually find PLD-1100 on ebay very reasonably priced. There is a PLD-1500 out there now. Or if you really want to nail it, there is a JC2.

mikeyb128

Pre amp all the way. I fudged around with receivers and external amps for years. Receivers will never sound better than a dedicated pre-amp. As for new vs old, I like new stuff, haven't got on that vintage train just yet.

cnh

The problem here is that you can spend 1000s if not 10s of 1000s on a modern pre-amp. And if you have that kind of coin, I DON'T, sure, the pre will trounce any vintage gear. Plus, as said ad nauseam, vintage gear needs to be recapped. But even recapping it does not always do what it claims to do because some of the original synergy is sometimes lost in the process or **** with the piece leads to a domino effect where more and more has to be replaced and then even more?

Honestly, I've heard recapped vintage equipment that was noticeably better and some that WAS NOT much better than the original. I think a lot depends on the original itself and a number of other factors.

Realistic

Thanks a lot guys, well I am not a guy with money so I have to chose wisely that's why I come here you guys are great. There are no local techs to recap my receiver so it would have to be sent out. My system is for music only, I have monitor 10s and sda 2s and love them both very much I mainly use the sda 2s though. I like the external blue tooth I have hooked into the old receiver and I have my daughters old apple phone that is loaded up with music its not a active phone I just use it for my music. Everything I own none of you would use I would imagine but here they are. Lafayette LR-9090 receiver, Project one receiver, Toshiba receiver, Harman Kardon receiver, onkyo tx-sv343 receiver, audio control c 101 series 2 eq, jvc kd 75 tape deck, pioneer audio timer, I just use it as a clock the thing is just cool to look at. Sony cdp-xe 500, pioneer pl-200 turntable. Pioneer cs-603 speakers, cerwin vega d-9s, gave the d-9s to my son. Thanks again everyone here is and has been a great help to me.

Realistic

I have been reading here about the parasound halo p5 is this the one motorhead is talking about? I would love to get my hands on that.

cnh

Parasound pres are very good, but pricey! And, if you look at my current sig, you'll see a lot of vintage gear running. That's not my best gear but I like the sound.

100 or more hours of break in. Sure, I've heard recaps of gear like that let me give an example: I own an old HK 430, and I've heard this unit recapped and fully broken in, not much of a difference. A little less noisy? Probably? A tad cleaner, perhaps. Tighter bass? Hmmm...less bass, certainly. I kind of liked the bass on my unit better, and I wouldn't call it inferior or loose.

Now, have I heard the opposite! Sure, I own a couple of old Pioneers that do NOT sound as good as the same versions with a fairly complete recap. They are muddier, less detailed up high, etc.

boston1450

skrol wrote: »

I ran my Parasound amps with the pre-outs from my Denon DRA-835R receiver for a while and it was ok but lacked something. The Denon actually sounds better with its internal amp but I didn't trust it driving the LSi15's.

I snagged a Parasound PLD-1100 and the sound really opened up and I am loving the system. You can usually find PLD-1100 on ebay very reasonably priced. There is a PLD-1500 out there now. Or if you really want to nail it, there is a JC2.

.. As i state in post above - My Denon POA 2200 amp was hooked to a Denon PRA-1200 & that preamp started messing up. So i hooked it to a Denon DRA-??? & i didnt like it.... I ended up buying a Denon PRA-1000 for 100.00 or so on Ebay & it looks & works wonderful. It also has the wood sides like my POA amp.... Realistic you dont have to spend a arm-n-leg for gear for a budget start up. I got 200.00 in amplifier & 100.00 in preamp. This Denon @220wpc took over the spot of Adcom gfa555 & i am very happy with it. The Adcom set up cost more & now is in closet. Its all on personal preference & budget. Maybe someday soon i to will have the ultimate budget set up that best meets my needs. I have other hobbies

motorhead43026

Realistic, you have a lot of thinking to do. That hca-1500 and those SDA's deserve a decent pre in front. In the meantime try what you have and see what is does for you. I would avoid real vintage stuff, but that is just me.

Realistic

I am going to check out your suggestions on the used sites, Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo and such. I really would like to try a preamp with this amplifier, this amp is my first big buy in audio as far as price and quality so I would like to pair it with as good of a preamp as I can afford say 3-500. Thanks again guys. Bob.

halo71

Realistic, please do yourself a favor. And pay no attention to "raginglunatic". He is our Otis here in Mayberry. While his inexperience in this hobby shows with everything he says....he likes to act as if he knows what he is talking about...just pay no attention.

Realistic

All I can say is trying to upgrade my stuff is getting to be very overwhelming, so many choices and mistakes to be made. This was much simpler when I just used my grandfather stuff that was handed down to me from my father. But the pursuit of better sound is fun and I am learning a whole lot from all of you. Thanks again.

Realistic

That denon set up looks cool, I must admit that I get interested in some gear just by the way it looks. Its hard not to buy some gear that has all the cool lights and what not. My old receivers are like night lights on steroids and I really like it.

halo71

raginglunatic wrote:

Have u ever seen internals of adcoms??
And please be specific. . And point any thing mistakes or lies in my posts.

Why yes, yes I have! lol Not gonna be specific at all, because you sure didn't with your blanket statements you think are truth. Like all of your posts, big blanket statements. You are really not helping newcomers to this forum asking for help in finding new gear.

And if you can find me a working P304 for $30. Please message me.

txcoastal1

raginglunatic wrote: »

halo71 wrote: »

Realistic, please do yourself a favor. And pay no attention to "raginglunatic". He is our Otis here in Mayberry. While his inexperience in this hobby shows with everything he says....he likes to act as if he knows what he is talking about...just pay no attention.

Have u ever seen internals of adcoms??
And please be specific. . And point any thing mistakes or lies in my posts.

Please be specific on what Japanese amps you are speaking of

boston1450

The ONLY reason i stopped using the Adcom is it didnt do well with RTA15TL's. Adcom matches very very well with SDA's. I would love to get ahold of the gfa535.

cnh

So Rager, are you saying that Nelson Pass did not know what he was doing back then? Because that's a pretty absurd assertion. Why don't you take that up with H9 and Raife? I'd love to see that discussion, but it would probably end in a closed thread, alas! Those Adcoms don't have any relay protection and that's why, when you lapse in your maintenance, they blow your speakers. But it takes quite a while for that to happen.

Of course Nelson makes better amps these days, but most are out of our reach! lol

txcoastal1

cnh wrote: »

So Rager, are you saying that Nelson Pass did not know what he was doing back then? Because that's a pretty absurd assertion. Why don't you take that up with H9 and Raife? I'd love to see that discussion, but it would probably end in a closed thread, alas! Those Adcoms don't have any relay protection and that's why, when you lapse in your maintenance, they blow your speakers. But it takes quite a while for that to happen.

Of course Nelson makes better amps these days, but most are out of our reach! lol

He does have self professed knowledge of blowing things

boston1450

Realistic wrote: »

All I can say is trying to upgrade my stuff is getting to be very overwhelming, so many choices and mistakes to be made. This was much simpler when I just used my grandfather stuff that was handed down to me from my father. But the pursuit of better sound is fun and I am learning a whole lot from all of you. Thanks again.

you got a nice amplifier & be worth the coin for a nice affordable preamp. Im sure alot of us would enjoy hearing it when you get it done. Enjoy

F1nut

Worth posting again........

halo71 wrote: »

Realistic, please do yourself a favor. And pay no attention to "raginglunatic". He is our Otis here in Mayberry. While his inexperience in this hobby shows with everything he says....he likes to act as if he knows what he is talking about...just pay no attention.

ken brydson

F1nut wrote: »

Worth posting again........

halo71 wrote: »

Realistic, please do yourself a favor. And pay no attention to "raginglunatic". He is our Otis here in Mayberry. While his inexperience in this hobby shows with everything he says....he likes to act as if he knows what he is talking about...just pay no attention.

Otis, LOL!!!

F1nut

Realistic, there's a Parasound P3 for $682.00 on Audiogon right now.

If you want to get into tubes there is Rogue Metis Magnum for $950.00 and a Conrad Johnson PV-10A for $850.00, although the older CJ gear tends to be very warm sounding.

tonyb

raginglunatic wrote: »

F1nut wrote: »

Realistic, there's a Parasound P3 for $682.00 on Audiogon right now.

If you want to get into tubes there is Rogue Metis Magnum for $950.00 and a Conrad Johnson PV-10A for $850.00, although the older CJ gear tends to be very warm sounding.

Am sure f1 was posting with a confident smile that his post will be right on the money.. "parasound.. warmth, Mr johnson."

Parasound P3 for 500$ on craigslist..
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/ele/5396137181.html

There are 300-400$ P3 on craiglists too...


LIke I said audiogon and fleabay are expensive.
So a good example of me knowing more than many old farts sitting around here for ages.

I'm not a fan of Ebay, but Audiogon is a fine place to buy used gear, Craigslist is ok if your in that area and can go and listen before you buy. If your out of state it's a crap shoot on who your dealing with or the condition of said gear. U.S. Audio Mart is also a good place. I think we have a thread around here listing all the decent places to buy used gear.

Just to be fair too....F1NUT didn't post that saying it was the cheapest or only place to look for a P3 either. It was simply a suggestion.

tonyb

Realistic wrote: »

Thanks a lot guys, well I am not a guy with money so I have to chose wisely that's why I come here you guys are great. There are no local techs to recap my receiver so it would have to be sent out. My system is for music only, I have monitor 10s and sda 2s and love them both very much I mainly use the sda 2s though. I like the external blue tooth I have hooked into the old receiver and I have my daughters old apple phone that is loaded up with music its not a active phone I just use it for my music. Everything I own none of you would use I would imagine but here they are. Lafayette LR-9090 receiver, Project one receiver, Toshiba receiver, Harman Kardon receiver, onkyo tx-sv343 receiver, audio control c 101 series 2 eq, jvc kd 75 tape deck, pioneer audio timer, I just use it as a clock the thing is just cool to look at. Sony cdp-xe 500, pioneer pl-200 turntable. Pioneer cs-603 speakers, cerwin vega d-9s, gave the d-9s to my son. Thanks again everyone here is and has been a great help to me.

The Lafayette's certainly have some good sound to them. Depending on your budget, if it's under 500 bucks I'd suggest a used B&k receiver like the 307 or 505-507. Not only do you get a very good sounding pre-amp in them, you also get a darn fine dac for playing your digital music and connections up the wahoo. New these were over 3k but now on the used markets run 3-500.

Realistic

I have the amplifier it came today. Im very happy.

boston1450

Congrats How does it sound ?

skrol

If you are patient, you can find a good deal on Parasound on Craigs or ebay. I got my PLD-1100 for $125 and it is like new with remote. I doubt this thing was hardly used as it seems to be breaking in for me. The sound seemed very constrained at first but the sound stage has opened up nicely.

tonyb

Also a very good pre for the coin. ^^^^

Most the vintage pre's, and a lot of current ones however don't have dacs in them. Something you should consider seeing what your using as a source for music. Older HT pre/pros also work well as a pre amp with quality dacs in them and can be had cheap on the used markets.

If all you want is a pre, I'd still look for a B&k ref 30 or 50. They are HT processors but the pre amp section and dacs are pretty good in them. Others to look for are older classe or Anthem. Trust me, your musical enjoyment will improve big time.

Because of the source your using, anything without a dac in it is going to rely on the cheap ones built into your portable devices. Not exactly a recipe for good sound imho.