Preamp - Vintage or New

curved
curved Posts: 664
edited February 2010 in 2 Channel Audio
I've been trying to decide what I should pull the trigger on.

Oldest - Hafler DH-101, Dynaco PAT-4
Old - Yamaha C-60, Luxman C-02
Young - NAD Model 116
Newer - Parasound

It will most likely be paired with my Adcom 545.

HELP!!!!:confused:
Living Room:....................[HTML] [/HTML] Zone 2 (Workout Room):
AVR - Yamaha RX-V757......JBL 4312 Pro Monitors
Pre - Nak CA-5
AMP - Adcom 555 (Main)
Main - Polk RTI8**/RTiA5
AMP - Adcom 545II (Center)
Center - Polk CSiA4**
Sub - Snell Basis 300:p......Zone 3 (Outside)
CD - Yamaha CDC-555.......Def Tech AW5500
TV - Pani TH-42PZ80U
BR - LG BD390
Monster HTS1600 Power Center
Dedicated Circuit - (2) 20amp, (1) 15amp
Ben's IC, Canare 4S11
**Dayton and Sonicap Caps with Mills Resistors**
Post edited by curved on
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Comments

  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited February 2010
    I like the Dynaco or Luxman choices.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited February 2010
    I'll vote Dynaco
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
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  • Hillbilly61
    Hillbilly61 Posts: 702
    edited February 2010
    Hope to hear more from the tube gurus/"whores" out there in Polkland!

    I am about to pull the trigger too. The OP question is very relevant to all that wants to do this.

    (Yes, I am pretty sure that I will become a tube "****", "guru" is an earned status").

    Guys, please weigh in here with your thoughts & experiences to us tube wannabes.

    Thanks,

    Lee
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  • George Grand
    George Grand Posts: 12,258
    edited February 2010
    Hafler DH-110 instead of the 101. PAT-4 was not Dynaco's best effort. Luxman is very nice. APT "Holman" is very nice.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited February 2010
    Hafler or Luxman

    Stay away from the Yamaha.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited February 2010
    Hillbilly61 wrote: »
    Hope to hear more from the tube gurus/"whores" out there in Polkland!

    I am about to pull the trigger too. The OP question is very relevant to all that wants to do this.

    (Yes, I am pretty sure that I will become a tube "****", "guru" is an earned status").

    Guys, please weigh in here with your thoughts & experiences to us tube wannabes.

    Thanks,

    Lee

    ALL the pre's in this thread are SS so I'm not sure what your post is about.

    To the OP

    http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/analogue-source/54028-dynaco-pat-4-5-a.html
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • Hillbilly61
    Hillbilly61 Posts: 702
    edited February 2010
    heiney9 wrote: »
    ALL the pre's in this thread are SS so I'm not sure what your post is about.

    To the OP

    http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/analogue-source/54028-dynaco-pat-4-5-a.html

    Tubes as pre, SS as out.

    Hope this clarifies.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited February 2010
    Hillbilly61 wrote: »
    Tubes as pre, SS as out.

    Hope this clarifies.

    Have no idea what your saying. SS as out.................out what :confused:

    The pre's listed by the OP are solid state units............no tubes. So I guess I don;t understand why you or the OP would get tube pre-amp recommendations is this thread.
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • Hillbilly61
    Hillbilly61 Posts: 702
    edited February 2010
    heiney9 wrote: »
    Have no idea what your saying. SS as out.................out what :confused:

    The pre's listed by the OP are solid state units............no tubes.

    I'm mistaken. For a hybrid system, a tube input to a solid solid state input amp seems to be the way to go for some fine sound and an upgrade path. If the OP is interested in SS to SS then I am uninterested, as there are better sound to be had via alternatives
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited February 2010
    Hillbilly61 wrote: »
    I'm mistaken. For a hybrid system, a tube input to a solid solid state input amp seems to be the way to go for some fine sound and an upgrade path. If the OP is interested in SS to SS then I am uninterested, as there are better sound to be had via alternatives

    Yeah, you lost me completely. Been in this hobby 25+ years and I have no idea what you're talking about.

    I think what you mean is a Tube pre-amp w/ a Solid State amplifier.

    Nothing in this thread has tubes in it, and the OP never mentioned tubes.......hence why I was initially confused about your post wanting to know about tube recommendations.

    A pre amplifier and an amplifier are two different things.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • curved
    curved Posts: 664
    edited February 2010
    I appreciate all the quick feedback!! After talking with my wife, I think I'm going to step up a bit in $$ and make sure I REALLY like what I get.
    Living Room:....................[HTML] [/HTML] Zone 2 (Workout Room):
    AVR - Yamaha RX-V757......JBL 4312 Pro Monitors
    Pre - Nak CA-5
    AMP - Adcom 555 (Main)
    Main - Polk RTI8**/RTiA5
    AMP - Adcom 545II (Center)
    Center - Polk CSiA4**
    Sub - Snell Basis 300:p......Zone 3 (Outside)
    CD - Yamaha CDC-555.......Def Tech AW5500
    TV - Pani TH-42PZ80U
    BR - LG BD390
    Monster HTS1600 Power Center
    Dedicated Circuit - (2) 20amp, (1) 15amp
    Ben's IC, Canare 4S11
    **Dayton and Sonicap Caps with Mills Resistors**
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited February 2010
    curved wrote: »
    I appreciate all the quick feedback!! After talking with my wife, I think I'm going to step up a bit in $$ and make sure I REALLY like what I get.

    That's a good idea.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • curved
    curved Posts: 664
    edited February 2010
    How do these stack up with the others mentioned?
    BRYSTON 1B PREAMPLIFIER
    B&K PRO-10MC Preamplifier

    Ideally, I would like to go with Conrad-Johnson PV10BL tube preamplifier, but I have to do some convincing....
    Living Room:....................[HTML] [/HTML] Zone 2 (Workout Room):
    AVR - Yamaha RX-V757......JBL 4312 Pro Monitors
    Pre - Nak CA-5
    AMP - Adcom 555 (Main)
    Main - Polk RTI8**/RTiA5
    AMP - Adcom 545II (Center)
    Center - Polk CSiA4**
    Sub - Snell Basis 300:p......Zone 3 (Outside)
    CD - Yamaha CDC-555.......Def Tech AW5500
    TV - Pani TH-42PZ80U
    BR - LG BD390
    Monster HTS1600 Power Center
    Dedicated Circuit - (2) 20amp, (1) 15amp
    Ben's IC, Canare 4S11
    **Dayton and Sonicap Caps with Mills Resistors**
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited February 2010
    curved wrote: »
    How do these stack up with the others mentioned?
    BRYSTON 1B PREAMPLIFIER
    B&K PRO-10MC Preamplifier

    Ideally, I would like to go with Conrad-Johnson PV10BL tube preamplifier, but I have to do some convincing....

    Both the Bryston and B&K are very nice. The B&K being one of the better budget units.

    The Adcom GFP 750 would be a better choice than both. The CJ and tubes would be very nice as well.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • curved
    curved Posts: 664
    edited February 2010
    heiney9 wrote: »
    Both the Bryston and B&K are very nice. The B&K being one of the better budget units.

    The Adcom GFP 750 would be a better choice than both. The CJ and tubes would be very nice as well.

    H9

    Would these be a big step up from the C-J Sonographe SC-25?
    Living Room:....................[HTML] [/HTML] Zone 2 (Workout Room):
    AVR - Yamaha RX-V757......JBL 4312 Pro Monitors
    Pre - Nak CA-5
    AMP - Adcom 555 (Main)
    Main - Polk RTI8**/RTiA5
    AMP - Adcom 545II (Center)
    Center - Polk CSiA4**
    Sub - Snell Basis 300:p......Zone 3 (Outside)
    CD - Yamaha CDC-555.......Def Tech AW5500
    TV - Pani TH-42PZ80U
    BR - LG BD390
    Monster HTS1600 Power Center
    Dedicated Circuit - (2) 20amp, (1) 15amp
    Ben's IC, Canare 4S11
    **Dayton and Sonicap Caps with Mills Resistors**
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  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,077
    edited February 2010
    Not really....


    BDT
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
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