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Planar Asylum preamp survey – 10.14.2002Now that responses to the survey have stopped, I have compiled the results. It is interesting that the maker of the most popular amp did not make the most popular pre-amp. But as you'll see, a different set of inmates responded to this survey. (Sorry about the format. The tabs appear to have disappeared)
Some numbers:
61 – responses
53 – different preamps (if you count all of those CJ variants)
11 – pre and amp from the same company2 – No preamp: e.g. CDP or phono preamp w/ volume ctl. directly into amp
5 – passive preamp (as far as I could tell. See the notes)Companies represented more than once:
7 - Conrad Johnson
4 - Audible Illusions
3 - Cary
2 - Audio Electronic Supply
2 - Audio Research
2 - Audio Synthesis
2 - Bottlehead
2 - Mark Levinson
2 - Meridian
2 - Music Reference
2 - Pioneer
2 - Sonic Frontiers_Preamp_ (any preamp notes) >>_into_the Amp(s)_ (2x if I could tell it was monoblocked)
Adcom GFP 750 >>Adcom 5500
AMC CVT1030 >>Antique Sound Lab KMP60FOX
Anthem PRE 2L
Atma-Sphere MP-3 >>(Bi-amp) Atma-Sphere MA-1 MKII & Berning EA-2100
Audcom AP-110 >>Carver TFM-25
3 - Audible Illusions Modulus 3a >>Ayre V3
“ >>Odyssey Stratos
“ >>Odyssey Stratos
Audible Illusions Modulus 3 >>Music Reference RM9
Audio Consultuing Silver Rock
2 - Audio Electronic Supply AE-3 >>VTL ST-85
“ >>?? (amp wasn’t mentioned)
Audio Note M1 Phono
Audio Research LS-5 >>(Bi-amp) Mark Levinson #27 via Bryston 10B XO
Audio Research SP-10 >>Classe DR-9 (2x)
Audio Synthesis Passion Pro (passive)
Audio Synthesis Passion Ultimate (passive)
Audiomat Prelude Reference
BAT VK-3i >>Bryston 4B-ST
BLUE CIRCLE 21.1
2 - Bottlehead Foreplay >>VTL-MB125
“ >>B&K ST2140
2 - Cary SLP-2002 >>Cary CAD-280 SA V12i
“ >>??
Cary SLP-50B >>Bryston 7B-ST
Conrad Johnson PV1
Conrad Johnson PV-9 >>Aragon 4004
Conrad Johnson PV10a >>Hafler DH-200 GXB+ OR McIntosh MC2105
Conrad Johnson PV-10aL >>Conrad Johnson MF2250
Conrad-Johnson PV10B >>Sonic Frontiers Power 2
Conrad-Johnson PV10BL >>Blue Circle BC-22
Conrad-Johnson Premier 17LS >>Conrad-Johnson MF2500
Denon AVR-4800 >>Bryston7B-ST
EAD Standing Ovation >>Krell KAV 1500
FT Audio LW-1 (passive >>Music Reference RM10
Harman Kardon-PT2500
Jeff Rowland Synergy Iii
Kenwood L-07C >>Kenwood L07-M monoblocks
Krell KCT >>Krell FPB 400cx
Linn LK-1 >>Linn LK280 amp
Marantz AV9000
Mark Levinson No. 32 >>Mark Levinson No.333.5 (2x)
Mark Levinson 380S >>Mark Levinson No.336
2 - Meridian 565 pre/proc >>Monarchy SM-100 Deluxe (2x)
“ >>??
2 - Music Reference RM-5 (Mk II) >>Music Reference RM-200
" >>Bryston 4BST (bass)& Audio Research D-52B
Musical Fidelity A3CR
N.E.W. P-3 valve (made by Cary) >>Quicksilver mono 90
Parasound P/HP-850
Pioneer Elite 33
Pioneer SX-780
Placette (passive) >>Music Reference Rm-200
Purest Sound Systems 500 (passive) >>ARC D200
Rogue 99 Magnum >>Innersound esl amp
Rotel RSP-960
SDS Labs SSRP >>Heath W5M (2x) or Heath AA-111 or Acoustat TNT-120
2 - Sonic Frontiers SFL2
Sony 1000ESD
Sunfire Theater Grand II >>Classe TwentyFive (2x)
Follow Ups:
Great survey about what Amp\Preamp everyone has, but may not tell the story who feels they are happy with the current system. Maybe it could help with a purchase. Maybe?A) 2 way or 3 way speaker? There is a difference in the amount of power needed to successfully drive these speakers.
B) Tube or solid state?
C) grade Your own amp and preamp?
1) Need an upgrade. Not enough power to drive the speakers adequitely?
2) Happy with the amp? Looking to upgrade?
3) Happy with amp? Not really looking to upgrade?
4) this is the amp to own. I have listen to multiple amps and this is the best so far? Victory comparison. Over what brands compared.
Or on a better note maybe to much info. Just buy one and try it?
Really just looking for a reasonable price excellent graded amp./ Preamp.
There are so many variables one could survey. And most would be interesting to many of us. But this ascii format really limits how we could present both the survey question and the results. We would need some form of support from the site, more than the simple polling I have seen. And as Mart mentioned in the amp survey, inmates' systems keep changing while they don't necessarily update their profiles.That does present an idea though. Perhaps the inmate profile info could be crunched whenever it is updated, with questions added to indicate the grading you want. Then the asylum could just have a page with a permanent "survey summary". It is so easy to suggest useful work for other peaople!
Thanks for the tally!
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