Silvaweld SWC450 vs. Audion Silver Night Premier 1.0

Posted by morricab (S) on July 15, 2015 at 07:12:19

So, I have now done a bit of comparison between these two preamps and it was rather surprising how much more information was obvious in MUSICALLY imporatant ways with the Silvaweld. When one listened intently you realize that the all the information is there with the Audion but the textures are diminished and "thinned" out. Resolution of soundspace and imaging is superb for both and here the Audion is on the same level.

Bass is similar between the two but the Silvaweld "welds" the bass to the mids and therefore gives weight and drive to the sound and it is likely here where the Audion falls done and gives that "thinned" sensation.

In the end the Silvaweld is overall clearly superior in most ways but partcularly authortity and integration of the sound. Sense of transparency is about equal between the two.

In the highs with the Silvaweld, cymbals just sound so much more natural and distinct in their tonal character in a way I haven't heard with many other other preamps and only those that cost way more money (and not with many that cost way more money). Here it is clearly superior to either the Audion or the Puresound...it is impressive the way it differentiates between the highs. The Silvweld might sound a tiny bit "golden" here but not enough to say "aha it's colored".

So, by some margin I prefer the Silvaweld over the other two, more expensive, "budget" preamps. It simply sounds more real more often than the other two. The PureSound sometimes surprises you with the palpability and dynamics of individual instruments but things don't quite occupy their own "space" in the soundstage like the best preamps can do. The Silvaweld can do this and the palpability is quite close to the Puresound and quite a bit superior to the Audion.

So, I have to say that the Silvaweld will stay and maybe the PureSound will stay as an "experimental" preamp. I am thinking about replacing the output transformers with something more ambitious, like double "C" cores from Audio Note or Lundhal because I suspect that the stock output transformers are "holding back" this preamp.

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Topic - Silvaweld SWC450 vs. Audion Silver Night Premier 1.0 - morricab 07:12:19 07/15/15 (2)

RE: Silvaweld SWC450 vs. Audion Silver Night Premier 1.0 - airtime 06:48:34 07/16/15 (1)

RE: Silvaweld SWC450 vs. Audion Silver Night Premier 1.0 - morricab 08:25:29 07/16/15 (0)

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