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I am considering a preamp upgrade as I wish to remove the last vestiges of grain and hardness in my system. I am currently using a BAT VK3i preamp with NOS tubes . This drives a Cary v12 poweramp running Svetlana KT88s into Coincident Super Eclipse Speakers. Sources include a Jolida CD Player (seldom used) and a VPI Aries/JMW10 Table, DynavectorXX-2, Art Audio Vinyl One pre-preamp.I was wondering if anyone could advise re a suitable choice staying with tubes and a remote. The obvious choice would be a Cary preamp but which one? There are so many. I have also heard good things regarding the Conrad Johnson 17LS. My budget is about $2500 and I am looking for something in the used market although I would be quite happy spending less if to good avail.
Follow Ups:
Modwright SWL 9.0SE. $2200. (Bybees & Blackgate options recommended). Much, much better than my CJ PV14S2 and some owners of Premier 17s have said the same re it (check Audio Circles). Hybrid linestage with incredible transparency, resolution and dynamics. No grain, no glare, no hardness. A dealer I know whom I demo'ed it for said it sounded like an $8k pre. (No connection to Modwright other than as a satisfied customer).
if you can live without remote volume, have Dan put a Dact attenuator in there as well. Much more detail and soundstage. And I am one who sold the CJ 17LS for this even without bybees, BG's, and the Dact. It really is that good, IMHO
Ever try Bybees in a 17LS? The performance easily boosts it into the $10K range and then some.
No, I haven't, although I would love to hear that combination. I've been bugging my dealer to get a S2 17LS in for a while but he wasn't impressed with the S1 and hasn't moved on it yet. I have heard the Act 2 and was very impressed with it but I didn't consider it worth near the difference in price between it and the SWL9.0 SE with Bybees and Blackgates.
what is bybees?
Bybee Quantum Purifiers, developed by Jack Bybee originally for military purposes (noise reduction in submarines, I think) and adapted by him for audiophile use. Primarily as in line filters for power supplies and inputs and outputs. Lowers noise substantially, providing a more spacious and analog like sound.
I own the 17LS Series 2. Highly musical can't reccommend it enough!
It's a keeper, esp. w/oil caps and direct coupled options. No "grain or hardness" on the menu, just big tone and serious frequency extension.
is a marvelous preamp. It is not tubey at all, at least not in my system, and is very revealing, particularly in the midrange. It laso responds very well to tube rolling.
I'm not sure if this is a violation of the posting rules for this forum, if it is, then please remove this post.I was the happy owner of a 17LS for a year and liked it very much. Not tubey IMO, detailed with an excellent soundstage and revealing of the tubes used.
This is the caveat part, there's one for sale now on Audiogon at the price you mentioned. The reason I know about it is because that's the one I used to own and it was unfailingly musical in my system. I only traded it for a C-J 16LS2, which is not in the price range you mentioned.
You might want to check it out. Not affiliated with the seller other than I know him from the previous sale and he's one of the good guys.
Good luck in your search.
Look into Jolida's preamp. I have the 3000B (modified by Response Audio) and love it. Stock should be around $900 and add another $400 or so if you want the reference mod I got. Either way, you should find this tube preamp is quite special for the price and stock or mod meets your criteria.
It all depends on the "flavour" you want in your preamp. To me one of the most neutral and dynamic is the Joule LA-150, but I don't know if you'd find a used one fitting your budget. The LA-100 is also a great preamp, a bit more "romantic" sounding which is good for classical, probably due to a more recessed high range, but not at all "tubey". To me the CJ's are tubey sounding, too much colored for my taste. I have short experience with Cary preamps so I'd better don't give an opinion.
Why would a recessed high range be better for classical?The LA100 MkIII is a bit more beautiful & laid back than real life but that doesn't make it better for classical music - as a matter of fact, unless ameliorated by a good after market pc (to wake it up a little bit), those very qualities can detract from the dynamics & top range bloom of orchestral classical music.
I owned this preamp for a couple years - it is a very nice preamp, but I eventually preferred the more neutral & dynamic sound of the tubed Herron VTSP-1a/166, which sounds more like the LA150 than the 100 MkIII. Judd Barber can fine tune either JE to suit specific tastes and systems, but the Herron pre was synergistic with my Herron amps.
I do agree that C-Js have a house sound, a golden glow of a sound, which while lovely, never struck me as quite realistic (at least as I hear live music).
Hi,You're completely right. IMHO the best choice should always be the most neutral one, but for some classical recordings listeners as their only choice of music, a system which makes for a "relaxed" high range and a more bodyful than neutral midbass, usually is a better choice. That's because (and it's not my case) that way they find a more neutral balance on classical recordings, which tend to be "hot" in the highs and sound bright in neutral systems tending to the "analytical" side. That's the opinion of some friends of mine who listen only classical and they like better slightly warm systems, but in my case, that I listen to any kind of music I like, and I like almost all them, it's better a more balanced sound.
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