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In Reply to: RE: Magnepan 1.7 setup posted by yemtig@yahoo.com on October 30, 2015 at 09:44:01
ok, decided on the AI Modulus 3a preamp, got a factory refurbished model and am super happy!!!! It has a tube stage phono section and comes with a set of NOS 6H23N-EB tubes!! Still looking for an amplifier, can't really decide but so far have only looked at ss amps... Should I possibly look at a few tube amps to make my decision final? Also, what about aftermarket powercords and audiophile power outlets? Will these really improve the sound that much better or am I reaching?? Was told to look at Shunyata Venom 3 power cords... pricey, but you know what they say... Buy once and cry once!! Anyways, really stoked and hope you guys/gals have a great Halloween with the kiddos!!
Follow Ups:
I ran the AI3a for more than 15 years and it's a great choice with a solid state amp. If you talk to Art Ferris at Audible Illusions, you'll find he's a fan of running them that way. I ran mine with several different solid state amps over the years (a couple Classe amps, a Bryston, and an Innersound and later MagTech amp). It's pretty quiet and very musical.
The phono stage on the AI3a is moving magnet only, but great sounding. You can use a step-up transformer (SUT) if you want to use a moving coil cartridge with your future turntable. I ran a Soundsmith "moving iron" cartridge with mine and was very pleased.
No big deal on running balanced or unbalanced (RCA). The Audible Illusions pre can run fairly long cables, which should give you placement options. I think every amp I ran had both balanced and unbalanced inputs, and I saw little improvement when I tried other amps that were balanced. The last one I tried was a Parasound JC2, which I found much drier sounding and less harmonically satisfying than the AI3a, but it was a bit quieter. A lot more money too. You've made a good choice.
The AI3a runs its tubes pretty hard, so don't get tempted to put in expensive NOS (new old stock) vintage tubes. Most won't last long. There are some options with new variants, but the ones that Audible Illusions supplies (Russian) will stand up well and sound darn good.
Good luck with your Maggies! Enjoy the music...
"Knowing what you don't know is, in a sense, omniscience"
The Audio Advisor proprietary Pangea brand power cables are good and hard to beat at the price. get at least 2ft longer than you need to allow for the power cable's stiffness.
Congrats on the preamp, a very nice piece.
The Parasound A21 is a very good choice in contemporary amps and will only be a limit on power if you play very loud (I do). The W4S ST500 is another.
There are plenty of alternatives at reasonable prices on the used market. We have gone over the choices many times.
You might want to consider a hybrid amp from Rogue Moscode/NYAL or Monarchy. See if CC Poon can make you a 250 hybrid.
In tube power amps consider the Rogue 4 tube per channel (KT120 tubes) Apollo and prior models, and the ASL Hurricane.
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