Don Sachs Model 2 Tube Preamp

I was very interested to try a tube-pre, so purchased this Don Sachs Model 2 a couple of years ago from the original owner. It has worked flawlessly for me when called upon, but I just may not be a tube guy.

It is a 6SN7 tube-pre based on the tubes4hifi.com SP14 design. http://www.dsachsconsulting.com/custom line stage.html These also accept CV181 tubes, and this one will come with a complement of one pair of 6SN7, and two pair of CV181 (*discussed in more detail below). The included rectifier tube will be a 6X5GT, but if you read the information on Don's website, you'll see that he can modify it to accept a 6BY5 for cheap if that trips your trigger. He actually offers a few different upgrades.

Inputs/Outputs: You can see from the pics of the front and back panels, there are 5 RCA unbalanced inputs (with tape monitor switch), and 2 RCA unbalanced outputs.

I have emailed Don several times, and he is very responsive. He keeps a record of each unit he sells, so he knows what upgrades have been done, and what else is possible. On this specific unit, he has said that besides the rectifier tube 6BY5 mod, he could also upgrade some of the wiring from Canare to Dueland, and improve the filament supply, all of which would result in a 10-15% improvement in sound according to him. I can't speak to the accuracy of that statement, but he seems quite confident in the outcome.

IMO, it sounds nice and tubey as-is when used with good, quiet tubes. Frankly, I was looking for solid-state silence, which really doesn't happen with tubes. But in the process of my quest (and culling out noisy tubes), I finally found a good complement of nice quiet tubes, which will be included*.

The cabinet is in good cosmetic condition, but not perfect. I think the biggest boo-boo is a dent in the front-right (see pics), that the original owner said happened during initial shipment to him. He considered sending the unit back, but decided to keep it since he liked the sound and didn't want to let it go. See other pics below for scratches, etc.


Scratches...



This angle with this lighting shows them all.

I think these dark stripes are just part of the grain.


Below are nude pics of the inside. You can see he used quality components, including a combination of Audyn and Dueland capacitors. Speaking of Dueland caps, the 1uF output cap in this unit requires usage of a power amp with a minimum of 47Kohm input impedance in order to preserve good bass response. That is straight from one of my emails with Don, so please take note. Of course for a nominal price, a 1.5 or 2.0pF Dueland cap can be installed to match lower-impedance input amps.




The stock remote is included with this unit, which controls Volume(+/-), Mute, and a toggle button for volume display brightness. Works fine.


Don builds brand-new units of this model for ~$2,500. I'm asking $1,700 shipped (to lower 48) for Polkies in good-standing with 100+ posts. PayPal F&F or Venmo.

*Tubes included:
- single unknown-brand rectifier 6X5GT
- pair of Sylvania 6SN7-GT Staggered Black Plates; Bottom Foil Getter
- pair of Shugang "Black" Treasure CV181-Z
- pair of Shugang "Black" Treasure CV181-Z GF (Grant Fidelity)

Price is firm since the tubes alone are worth several hundie.
Can include a stock power cord if requested.