Pairing a preamp to the McCormack DNA 125

halo

Hey all!

I just picked up a pre-owned McCormack DNA 125 amplifier with mods to the signal path and an upgraded PS.

I don't have the funds at the moment, but I can start saving and get an idea of what preamp will mate well with the DNA 125.

So far, my candidates are:

Peachtree Nova Pre

Jolida Fusion DAC-Preamp (at the floor model price)

Jolida Jd-5t

I'm not ruling out anything solid state, I just haven't seen anything that is piquing my interest.

The Jolida Fusion is somewhat out of my price range, but I might be able to swing Wally's floor model pricing.

Any additional suggestions would be appreciated.

Right now I'm using a Marantz NR1402 AVR as a pre/pro. I have a Denon AVR2113CI that will be back from service soon but I think that would be a lateral move.

I plan on using this in a dedicated 2-Channel set up, but if the preamp has an HT pass through, I'd be fine with that. The source(s) will be what you see in my signature but I do plan to purchase the ELAC UniFi UB5 for this set up.

The preamp has to have a remote, that's not negotiable. lol.

tonyb

I wouldn't be sold on the Peachtree as a mate for the McCormack. I don't think the two different sound characteristics match up that well in my opinion. Haven't had an ear on the Fusion so can't comment there.

Whats the budget anyway ?

tonyb

VTL 2.5, Rogue, Vac, Joule, would be at the top of my list. Cary slp 03 or older DJS, Belles, just to name a few. SS you may want to visit McCormacks own pre's or the Pass X-1 like John has. Plenty more, but a budget dictates, also new or used.

Nightfall

Looks like his budget is $5-600 with $8-900 stretching it.

halo

Nightfall wrote: »

Looks like his budget is $5-600 with $8-900 stretching it.

correct. I had a VTL 2.5 in my former hi-fi set up and that was the best preamp I ever had. Cannot afford to replace it. That would be my top choice

tonyb

Nightfall wrote: »

Looks like his budget is $5-600 with $8-900 stretching it.

Tougher....you might see a used McCormack pre or Parasound P5 in the budget range, but if it was me I'd go tubed. Cary DJS would work but they rarely come up. Tell ya what, I'll hold Ernie down, you bop him over the head, we take his Joule and leave 8 bones on the floor.

halo

lol. No need for violence.

halo

Sorry, budget is $500 - $800 (and $800 is really more than I'm comfortable with or capable of at this time).

Jhayman

I used a VTL 5.5 for awhile before selling, it was Excellent, but out of your $ range, I also used a McCormack LD-2 which was also Great.
Now I'm using a McCormack Map-1, out of all 3 my choice would be the VTL.
The Map-1 and LD-2 are in your range if you can find one.

vcwatkins

tonyb wrote: »

VTL 2.5, Rogue, Vac, Joule, would be at the top of my list. Cary slp 03 or older DJS, Belles, just to name a few. SS you may want to visit McCormacks own pre's or the Pass X-1 like John has. Plenty more, but a budget dictates, also new or used.

Not sure how the DNA-125 compares with the DNA-1 dlx that I have, but I can tell you the McCormack matched beautifully with the Rogue 66 Magnum (Mullards, bought used here @ $750, remote volume only) with Ushers (see LR sig below), Polk 4.1tl, LSiM-703, and amazingly well with DefTech SM-45. So good that I took the 45's down from sale on CL. Best they ever sounded.

I liked it even better in the den with the Belles 20a (Brimars, bought used here @ $800, remote volume/mute) and SRS1.2's. Better detail and stage width than Sunfire but slightly less bass slam, liquid mids, and stage depth. I posted a few notes on the comparison in the current Pass Labs For Sale thread.

I'm currently trying it with a little Dared sl-2000 (Raytheon 6414, <$400, remote volume only) with LSiM-703 and Hartley Reference Mini-Tower. Not as good as with the Rogue - a little dry - but I haven't tried different tubes yet.

tonyb

Good choices there, the Belles might be a tad out of range for his budget but the Rogue can certainly be had.

SS pre's....gonna be hard to top the P5 used, plus you get a built in dac as a bonus. Try and finagle a tubed pre, imho they mate better with McCormack amps. The retired dude who spends his days taking long walks on the beach pondering PFB posts, who posted before me, thinks so too.

halo

I looked at some of the Rogue pres but they don't have a remote (not the ones I saw).

I will be on the lookout for a P5 if it's in my price range.

No love for Jolida?

I also have to take into account that I'll have to purchase some tube$ to go with it, if it doesn't come with anything worth mentioning.

tonyb

Jolida's nice too, some models anyway. I just haven't had an ear on one in a very long time as the only reason I didn't give it a thumbs up. When it comes to Rogue on the used markets, I believe certain models a remote is extra so you may see some with remotes, and some without.

As a precautionary measure, Bat pre's seem to have problems with McCormack amps. Something along the lines of the pre's leaking DC and shutting down the amp....last I paid attention anyway.

halo

tonyb wrote: »

Jolida's nice too, some models anyway. I just haven't had an ear on one in a very long time as the only reason I didn't give it a thumbs up. When it comes to Rogue on the used markets, I believe certain models a remote is extra so you may see some with remotes, and some without.

As a precautionary measure, Bat pre's seem to have problems with McCormack amps. Something along the lines of the pre's leaking DC and shutting down the amp....last I paid attention anyway.

Yikes!

Well, I wasn't looking at BAT but thanks for the heads up

vmaxer

I am running a DNA1 with an Odyssey Candela and sounds good to me.

But, I am not an expert listener...

May be way better out there.

halo71

Someday I hope to be able to play at the deep end of the pool. I heard some VTL gear at a guys house I was buying some speakers from off Craigslist last summer. He wasn't interested in adopting me I might add.

halo

halo71 wrote: »

Someday I hope to be able to play at the deep end of the pool. I heard some VTL gear at a guys house I was buying some speakers from off Craigslist last summer. He wasn't interested in adopting me I might add.

Most of the gear I'm looking at is "mid-fi" because that's the gear I can find that makes the most sense (for now). I've owned some pretty nice stuff over the years and, maybe, someday I'll get back there. Honestly, it just takes the right synergy between the pieces, and that's hard to find, until you put it all together and make adjustments - one component at a time.

11tsteve

man, my recapped NAD 1020 does beautifully with my DNA 0.5.

halo

11tsteve wrote: »

man, my recapped NAD 1020 does beautifully with my DNA 0.5.

So an OEM NAD won't cut it?

11tsteve

my 1020 was manufactured maybe 1980-83? It was due for a refresh. Very noisy. The guy who did the work stripped it all the way down, cleaned the PCB, cleaned and re-soldered all of the RCA jacks. Recapped, some new resistors, re-built the headphone amp....
I'd had the 1020 in my basement forever, I remembered I loved it way back in the day, I was tired of shopping preamps, so I had him do the work. It ousted the NAD 116 I was using at the time by a long shot.
My comment was somewhat tongue in cheek because the preamps you all are discussing are much nicer gear.
And there is something out of whack putting a $180 pre in front of my $2000 McCormack, but I REALLY like the sound.

halo71

11tsteve wrote: »

And there is something out of whack putting a $180 pre in front of my $2000 McCormack, but I REALLY like the sound.

Kinda the way I feel. Putting a $50 (what I paid for it) Bottlehead Foreplay II preamp in front of an Onkyo Integra M504 power amp. Not that the power amp is high end or anything. Just a smaller scale comparison than yours. But damn it sounds nice.

lightman1

Synergy! Oddball combos can be surprising.
Have at it. Steve, your NAD is practically brand new. Has it had much break in time?

11tsteve

lightman1 wrote: »

Synergy! Oddball combos can be surprising.
Have at it. Steve, your NAD is practically brand new. Has it had much break in time?

Yeah, it has been a year. It is a simple circuit, transparent, and inviting. Right now I am breaking the amp and speaks in... but I know where I will end up.

halo71 wrote: »

11tsteve wrote: »

And there is something out of whack putting a $180 pre in front of my $2000 McCormack, but I REALLY like the sound.

Kinda the way I feel. Putting a $50 (what I paid for it) Bottlehead Foreplay II preamp in front of an Onkyo Integra M504 power amp. Not that the power amp is high end or anything. Just a smaller scale comparison than yours. But damn it sounds nice.

I have the "budget" Keces, but I know personally why it is well respected around here, and I am just gonna enjoy this combo for now.

halo

Hmmm...NAD...

I had Rotel RC-972 in '04 or '05 that stayed in place until I got the VTL 2.5

I'm not saying that the Rotel was amazing, but it wasn't bad.

I could, theoretically, dig the SB3 out of storage and just run it straight to the amp (actually, I'd have to put the OriGen DAC in between the two). But, if I do that, I won't have access to my Pioneer or my PC server.

I read some reviews on the Jolida Fusion Pre/DAC and some are good but some are not so good.

erniejade

Maybe next weekend I can bring the joule up if your free.
I loved my jolida cd player but I have not heard the preamps. What about a audible illusion pr Conrad Johnson? You can still find them in your range. Unless a remote is needed

halo

erniejade wrote: »

Maybe next weekend I can bring the joule up if your free.
I loved my jolida cd player but I have not heard the preamps. What about a audible illusion pr Conrad Johnson? You can still find them in your range. Unless a remote is needed

That would be great! Yes, a remote is needed

MrBuhl

I've had a Dodd MLP, a Bottlehead Foreplay, a Backert Rumba, and an Audible Illusions hooked up to my McCormack DNA-1, the Dodd is my favorite by far, but the AI is very nice with the right set of tubes. Unfortunately, only the Dodd has a remote.

The Rhumba is fantastico, but slightly out of your price point!

halo

MrBuhl wrote: »

I've had a Dodd MLP, a Bottlehead Foreplay, a Backert Rumba, and an Audible Illusions hooked up to my McCormack DNA-1, the Dodd is my favorite by far, but the AI is very nice with the right set of tubes. Unfortunately, only the Dodd has a remote.

The Rhumba is fantastico, but slightly out of your price point!

Thank you for your insights and for sharing your experiences! I appreciate it!

heiney9

here you go, great deal..........no affiliation. Looks like some nice upgraded Clarity caps as well.

I think this would pair nicely with the McCormack and it has remote. This is just the pre-amp not pre/dac

http://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649264094-jolida-fusion-tube-preamplifier/

MrBuhl

The one thing I would add to all of this now that I think about it... is that I really didn't use the remote on the preamp that much, in fact the McCormack is still hooked up to the Audible Illusions (I pair the Dodd with my Dodd 50W now - when it's fixed anyway... grrr) and I hardly ever find myself thinking about having a remote anymore.

Just saying, it might not be the deal breaker you think it is? I just don't miss it. I do have a much greater tendency to listen all the way through a CD or album side than I used to now as well.

halo

heiney9 wrote: »

here you go, great deal..........no affiliation. Looks like some nice upgraded Clarity caps as well.

I think this would pair nicely with the McCormack and it has remote. This is just the pre-amp not pre/dac

http://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649264094-jolida-fusion-tube-preamplifier/

Thanks Brock I saw that one. Will it sound "tubey?"