Receiver with pre outs or preamp

halo71

My preamp score so far has been a Bottlehead Foreplay II for $50. For what it is....hard to beat imo. And I know some here dont care for the Integra M504 power amp. But that amp and the Bottlehead with a Denon SACD on fully restored Infinity RSIIIa's, I'm lovin' it!:)

halo71

Sounds about as good with SDA's as well.....lol

Realistic

Well boston it sounds great so far, I adjusted the bias with help from friends here and you tube. I have about 6 hours on her and you sure can tell the difference, the honey dripper on cd I have listened to more than I want to admit and I have it going now and its great. What a difference, I am looking into all the preamp suggestions from you guys I believe you all when you say it will be a improvement over the receiver I have now. The guys in the speaker forum here were don't on with the amp recommendation so there is no need for me to second guess you all on the preamp you guys here sure do know how to make good sound. Thank you all very much, I just still cant believe a amplifier could make this big of a change in my music. Im liking it a whole lot.

Realistic

That should say those guys were dead on with the amp recommendation.

boston1450

Thats great. I too enjoyed info on bias. Ya learn alot around here even when we dont have the same issues. Enjoy your new amp & maybe later on do something different & bring it to a different level. Enjoy..... Ive done the same & as i completed the set up i even upgraded speaker cables & now im upgrading amp & cd player cords.... Some say yes & others say no. Ask ME i say once your at a certain place in your system - why not. Every little upgrade over time will make a difference.

halo71

Realistic wrote: »

I just still cant believe a amplifier could make this big of a change in my music. Im liking it a whole lot.

Jus' think...on some audio forums, peeps will tell you that ALL amplifiers sound the same!

Realistic

I really do hope you guys do understand that I really do appreciate all the help and guidance you have gave me.

lightman1

Hi! I'm Russ the troll and cables don't matter.
These guys are hacks. They spent all my money and I can't hear a dam thing.
Welcome to the rabbit hole.

Realistic

That's funny Russ and thank you I'm glad to be here although my wallet and wife might not be lol

cnh

halo71 wrote: »

Realistic wrote: »

I just still cant believe a amplifier could make this big of a change in my music. Im liking it a whole lot.

Jus' think...on some audio forums, peeps will tell you that ALL amplifiers sound the same!

What? Wait a minute! Are you saying they are NOT the SAME? D A M N, now I'm gonna have to sell my Soundesign stuff! BTW, were "any" of these made in Japan?

txcoastal1

And you're crazy if you think that you need a better DAC than what your phone provides

gp4jesus

halo71 wrote: »

Realistic wrote: »

I* just still cant believe a amplifier could make this big of a change in my music. Im liking it a whole lot.

Jus' think...on some audio forums, peeps** will tell you that ALL amplifiers sound the same!

"Them**"... Not to be confused w/"us*." Anytime. Can bring their favorite source materiel and player if they so chose. To my house to listen to 6 different brands of amps. And continue to lie to themselves and the rest us saying: "They sound the same!"

Realistic

Im at work today working on more rusted vehicles and the whole time I am wrenching away all I was thinking is how in the heck can I come up with some extra cash to but a good preamp before tax time. I wonder if this qualifies as a sickness lol.... Don't worry I didn't leave anything off the vehicles,I may have left some knuckle skin and maybe a little blood but Ihave more.

tonyb

Realistic wrote: »

Im at work today working on more rusted vehicles and the whole time I am wrenching away all I was thinking is how in the heck can I come up with some extra cash to but a good preamp before tax time. I wonder if this qualifies as a sickness lol.... Don't worry I didn't leave anything off the vehicles,I may have left some knuckle skin and maybe a little blood but Ihave more.

A body and fender guy, cool man. Here's an idea for extra cash that a buddy of mine does. He got a dealers license and goes to auctions and buys cars fairly newer that people would want for a song, does the body work and sells them for double what he paid. He actually approaches what he makes at his day job doing this on the side. He does as much or as little as he has time for.

Realistic

Hey Tony, im a mechanic and in my area when you try to buy a vehicle that needs work like a engine replacement they want to sell you the car with the bad engine for almost as much as you could buy that car running.

Realistic

I have been doing a lot of looking into preamps and If I can come up with some cash between now and tax time I am really thinking of getting the parasound halo p5 because it has a dac and I can still use my TT also. I also looked at a B&k 507 but I didn't see pre outs on it, there are a whole lot of connections back there. Also looked at a Denon pra 1500 this add basically says its the best denon ever built but I would have to buy a external dac he wants 399 firm for the denon.

TNHNDYMAN

The Parasound is a nice piece of gear and should meet your needs well.

motorhead43026

I own a P5 and enjoy it very much. The HT bypass is a great feature although I don't use it currently. The DAC is very good but the phono pre is the weak link. The P5 is an excellent sounding pre for the money and I highly recommend it. I would suggest purchasing new, as the used vs new price is not that far apart. It will also take your new amp to a whole new level in SQ. Don't forget quality IC's, and down the rabbit hole you go.

Realistic

Thanks motorhead I will buy it new its just going to take me awhile. I am really digging the amp adjusting the bias really does make a difference. Its amazing the sound quality difference in my music coming threw this amp you really can hear a difference, I hope the preamp will provide more of the same. I can put the preamp on my card but it will take me some time to pay it off and I hate being in debt. The snap on guy gets enough of my money every week... Man I have been reading all of the post here on surge/power conditioning wow im over loaded.

tonyb

Realistic wrote: »

Thanks motorhead I will buy it new its just going to take me awhile. I am really digging the amp adjusting the bias really does make a difference. Its amazing the sound quality difference in my music coming threw this amp you really can hear a difference, I hope the preamp will provide more of the same. I can put the preamp on my card but it will take me some time to pay it off and I hate being in debt. The snap on guy gets enough of my money every week... Man I have been reading all of the post here on surge/power conditioning wow im over loaded.

that's why we call it the rabbit hole....once you get a taste of good sound there's no going back. Kinda like using cheap K-Mart tools then using the Snap-on's. The guys here will steer you to the audio gear that performs like Snap-on but at K-mart prices, like the amp you just acquired. Take your time, save the coin, sell stuff you don't need or use to put towards a good pre. Audio isn't a race, takes some trial and error to find the things that will blow your sack back.

Huh What?

Realistic - You might try starting at the low end first. That way, if you're not happy with the sound, you can generally get back what you paid for an older preamp and move on to the next thing. One of my first setups was an NAD 1155 pre with a Nakamichi PA5 powering some SDA-1Cs. I loved the sound of that setup. You might keep an eye out on the Bay or CL for a used 1155 and give it a whirl.

Realistic

Its hard to sell audio stuff in my area, no one is really into it and the people that I have run into that like audio don't want older stuff like I have and most of them use a blue tooth speaker set up with there phone or I pod. I am the only dumb one in my area I guess. I would like to buy new this way I don't have to worry about a recap and if I didn't get a old one recapped I will always wonder if it is sounding as good as it should be plus I want a dac. If I buy older used I would also have to buy a dac and get the used pre a tune up and that would require shipping, no local tech. The guys here are great and patient with me and I do appreciate that.

tonyb

I didn't mean sell audio stuff, lol. Look in the garage bro, any bikes that have been sitting too long.....car parts ? Old kids toys that never get touched ? Too much furniture clogging up that spare room ? Small Kitchen appliances that never get used ? Sell your unwanted whatever for cash and use that towards audio.

Realistic

I did that a few years back to get my son a new dirt bike, he was very happy. Not much left to get rid of after that.

motorhead43026

Always have blood and plasma to fall back on.........lol.

ken brydson

motorhead43026 wrote: »

Always have blood and plasma to fall back on.........lol.

There's always the sperm bank. More fun...

footwedge

ken brydson wrote: »

motorhead43026 wrote: »

Always have blood and plasma to fall back on.........lol.

There's always the sperm bank. More fun…

Depends , on your age.

ken brydson

footwedge wrote: »

ken brydson wrote: »

motorhead43026 wrote: »

Always have blood and plasma to fall back on.........lol.

There's always the sperm bank. More fun…

Depends , on your age.

At 56 it's anyones guess.

motorhead43026

I am over 60, so mine are probably floaters.

tonyb

Realistic wrote: »

I did that a few years back to get my son a new dirt bike, he was very happy. Not much left to get rid of after that.

You'd be surprised the junk you have laying around that you could sell. I sell stuff all the time, and the more I sell the more I find. Still have a minty 70's womans Schwinn Varsity 10 speed bike hanging in the garage, generator, light, no rust. An old pair of wood water ski's, and who knows what else. I'll get around to selling them when I run out of other junk to sell. Just let go of a Kitchen aide stand mixer that the wife never used, but she wanted it 5 years ago.