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RE: EAR vs Audio Note preamp

Posted by PAR on November 10, 2016 at 07:40:00

In Reply to: EAR vs Audio Note preamp posted by Plinius_Fan on November 10, 2016 at 06:11:22:

First off I am biased - I have owned an EAR 868PL ( you need that suffix if you want a phonostage) for the last 7 years and it still knocks me out. Also Tim ds P's build quality is fantastic.

As supplied (with EAR tubes) it is musically very coherent but a little rounded off at both frequency extremes. I used these tubes happily for a couple of years but then swapped in Tungsram PCC88s and. later, Telefunken PCC88s from the 1960s. Both are great at extending the performance of the pre but for my tastes the Telefunkens rule, especially in regard to openess and bass control. NB: I run in and out balanced (except for the phono in of course). You can, of course, also use ECC 88s but not mixed with the PCCs.

Specifically the 868 is a fully modern sounding tube pre. The phonostage is particularly noteworthy as it basically an 88P (think of the 868 as an 88P with extra line inputs). The phono section has substantial gain and even quite low output cartridges can work through the MM section. However Tim de P is a world expert in transformer design for audio and I just prefer my MCs via the inbuilt step up trandformers even if it results in a low volume control setting. Not mentioned in the instruction manual but there are various input transformer settings available on the PCB using jumpers or, in some earlier samples, a slider switch.

To my ears the Audio Note UK offerings can be fairly described as having a "classic tube sound". However this tends to remind me a bit of my uncle's radiogram in the late 1950s. Maybe it's really the corner loaded AN speakers dominating my memory. Nevertheless I suspect that most lovers of the AN sound would not go for EAR Yoshino and vice versa.

Just to add confusion I love what I have heard of Kondo electronics so it might be thought inconsistent if I am less keen on AN UK.

Of course both AN and EAR are good products so it is just my personal preferences here.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Atma-Sphere Music Systems, Inc.

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