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Hello, I have a pair of Magnepan .7s that paired with Bryston 4b-st amp, mod squad line drive passive preamp, and a blue sound node streamer for Tidal.
I want to warm up the sound and so replace the mod squad. I would love to try a tube vintage, but am also open to vintage solid state recommendations that add warmth and preserve imaging. I would like to pay $600-800.
thanks
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Conrad Johnson PV10BL or PV10AL should be in your price range.
Nice user name, my favorite player
Look at the cheaper components in Arthur Salvatore's reference list for tube and hybrid preamps (with phono stages) In this list I am particularly enamoured of the Bruce Moore desings, Audible Illusions Uranus, Dual Mono, Saturn. MFA Magus or Luminescence, The Paragon preamp..
If you can build it yourself, the Herran ForeWatt design is amazing with either separate filament power supplies and a standard preamp trannie (.eg. dynaco PAS 15 miliamp) or get a much bigger PS trannie like an Edcor 70 miliamp, as with the successful Bruc Moore designs one of the keys is the headroom in the power supply.
Other suggstions: The Melos SHA Gold and the MA333 (any version) hybrid tube line preamps.The Melos has an LDR photoresistor volume control and a passive operation option. These are serious high end pieces that sell within your budget. I have a friend with a Melos SHA Gold with a performance problem that you might actually prefer as it smooths out the top.
Any of the Conrad Johnson or ARC tub preamps of sufficiently old vintage will do the trick but prices are higher.
In more modern pieces consider the Rogue RP1
Lastly consider a Chinese design like the Yaqin or Ming Da preamps or the Doge 8 that Salvatore recommends. With a bit of tub rolling the really cheap Yaqin MS12B can perform very well. A few simple parts upgradees brings up performance gratly when you are ready to put more into it. The Ming Da MC7R does well in stock form and has more potential with component upgrades. ..
I forgot the Mei Xing or Ming Da MC300 pre which is actually a 300B tube integrated amp reconfigured with low current output transformers to have line level outputs.
It is not in your budget but it is something most tube audio techs can do for you out of a 300B integrated. Which is probably within your budget.
I just need a line stage. Would a little preamp like an Eico or a Dynamo be powerful enough to make it sound blissful?
I asked a current production vs vintage question here:
http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/amp/messages/21/214986.html
and got some well thought out, helpful responses. One mentions that older preamplifiers tend to have a lot of controls and associated circuitry, that can be a maintenance problem and can degrade the sound. And the quality of capacitors, attenuators etc., available now can make a big difference.
There are some simple, current production line stage tube preamplifiers that use very good components that are hard to beat with vintage equipment.
If you can, whatever you are considering, try it in your system. Preamps, even just line stage can make a heck of a difference.
If you are a tube amp,a vintage tube preamp will drive it just fine.If you are driving a solid state amp,you need to put a larger value coupling cap in the preamp which is easy to do.
My favorite all around stereo tube preamps are the Fisher 400c and the 400CX2
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken
Magnepans are towards the warm side already, any tube preamp should put you in a warm image state of bliss. Maybe try a Conrad Johnson, they have their own flavor but they will do what you want.
Just line stage or do you need phono too?
I had a Conrad Johnson PV12 on my 3.6's before Switching to an Audio Note M3, both were good , the M3 better
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