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and how did/do you like the sound?i am wondering because:
I have a vintage fisher 500c tube receiver that i may modify to use as a preamp for a beefy power amp (thinking adcom gfa545 or 555). any experiences, positive or negative? anyone think this is a bad idear? my speakers are JBL s38s. please don't bash my speakers, especially if you haven't heard them. I like them a lot, but i think they could benefit from more POWER(!) but i want to keep the tubey sound (especially the tube phono stage).
for sources, i use an MMF5 TT and a denon dcm370 cdp. i also listen to the radio on the fisher.thanks,
eric
my Jeff Rowland Model 10 to be a beautiful combo. However, I'm looking forward to using a Debut or two with the Mantissa.Listening to music in a cool Seattle, Gill
Mark Levinson No. 380 (solid state preamp) to AudioPrism Debut II (tube amp). That's the best of both worlds.-Lummy The Seahorse
My choice was kind of made for me. I have to put everything inside a closed cabinet with VERY limited ventilation, so the heat of tubes prohibits a tubed amp. The next best thing is a tubed preamp.Actually, the McCormack is a damn fine solid state amp, so I really don't have many of the problems that some SS amp haters quote.
Enjoy,
Bob
Eric,I loved my McIntosh SS c29 preamp until I dropped in the Audible Illusions Mod3 preamp. I the midrange opened up tremendously. I’ve got my speakers’ biamped using one MC7270 for the bass and the other for the mid/highs, which allows me to compensate (through the amp’s gain) for any perceived degradation of the bass, brought on by the preamp.
While my setup is far from being El Cheapo, I had the same concern about driving my speakers. The 5-way Duntechs love to be driven….
Enjoy the music.
Tony
My dad had an old Fisher 400 which I got when he “upgraded” to a Heathkit receiver. The Heathkit sounded so bad I looked into the circuits and found out that the phono amp stage had compression. This reduces the current through the transistor to keep thermal runaway from burning up the transistor. I replaced it with a better sounding one. The effect was as if the automatic gain control was switched on. The bad sound gave fullness to the music and gave what I was calling the “Hi Fi” sound. I upgraded to a Fisher 500C later. As people bought new equipment that had great reviews, I would challenge them to a dual with my Fisher. In the early 80’s a friend had a Proton D940 that we went head to head with. Instead of using a record we used his CD player. I thought it was good enough to show the difference. The Proton sounded as good to me as the Fisher, so I bought one and put my Fisher in the closet.Last month, I bought a new Proton 2631 preamp and 2580 amp and found out how bad the DAC in my Sony carrousel CD player was. This makes me think I may have made a mistake in my switching to the Proton. The CD player that I was using in the A to B testing probably wasn’t good enough to make the test fair. I still have the Fisher, but it need to be rebuilt.
Works/sounds great!
My "main system" uses an Anthem INT-2 integrated amp, which has a tube preamp section and solid state power section. I find this to be an ideal combination, offering "the best of both worlds." I've never owned a separate amp and preamp, partly because of the cost factor and partly because I just don't want the hassle of selecting the two separately and then worrying about the cables to connect them. But on the basis of my experience with the INT-2, I would heartily recommend the "hybrid" approach.
I have used ARC and a VTL deluxe preamps with A Big 200 watt NAD power stage with very good results.On some disc and records sounds much kike a tube rig.
I do...paragon tube preamp driving marantz model 18 for mini monitors and a sub amp
My Foreplay preamp drove a NAD C340's power amp section for a while, before I got my ASL Waves. I thought it sounded pretty good, much better than the NAD's preamp section.
I have a pair of the Waves and in the future was thinking of building the Foreplay. What do you think of the combo? Temporarily I'm using a Creek OBH-12 with the Waves (hey, maybe I'm not off topic) and really like the sound.Thanks.
I've been using a Precision Fidelity C-8 hybrid preamp with a Mission Cyrus II integrated HEAVILY modded as a poweramp only.
The results are mixed right now. The pre doesn't drive the Cyrus II's input impedance very well (only 14Kohms!), but excells everywhere else. I've heard better all tube pre's in my system and remarkibly the Cyrus lets me hear those differnces with ease! I've posted on here asking about increasing the input impedance (heck, even sent some inmates the schematics!) but to no avail.
Not bitchen, just enjoying what I've got for now! It gets me a LOT closer to the music than any of my friend's systems, so I won't complain!
Cheers
Dman
What's the O/P impedance of your preamp? If it's 1 KOhm or less, you satisfy the 1:10 rule. If it's 2 KOhms or more, you do have a problem. In any event keep the cables between pre and power short and low capacitance.
Eli D.
I don't know the actual output impedance of the pre- I do know it is rather high, at least a local tube "guru" told me that. I wish he'd provided some documentation. I'd like to "pad down" the input of the power amp as well as soemhow increaing the input impedance, just to be safe. The input uses a volume pot, but I can't run it past the 10 o'clock position without losing the useful range of my preamp's volume.
If you like, I could send you the schematic of the power amp. It is solid state (don't laugh!), and considering it's origins and time of design and manufacture (early '80s), does really well!
let me know if you are willing to tackle this.
Dman
i switched the pre to a rogue 66 and have been much happier with the results, but to each his own. it's good to experiment. you might find a great combo.
I have a heavily modified Conrad Johnson PV-12 pre-amp matched with a Spectron Digital One (Class D) solid state amp, all driving a pair of B & W Nautilus 802 speakers. Like you, I like the tube analog-like sound of the pre-amp, which I have modified to reduce noise, add a IEC plug interface, and installed Mullard old/new military stock tubes). The Spectron is very fast, very efficient and packs enough muscle to drive the B & W Nautilus's. The combination, supported by Harmonic Technology power cords sounds really great.Pete Watt
I never liked the 500C, actually I don't think any of the Fisher gear ever did it for me. I like the JBL S-38 so you won't get a bashing there. I use Infinity Ren 90, Adcom 5500, Creek OBH-12 and Rega Planet. I have had most of the Adcoms and the 5500 is way best IMHO. Soon to add another 5500 and an active x-over. My Aronov YM-100 amp is getting an overhaul and can't wait to get it back in. Doesn't have the headroom like the Adcom, but power isn't all.
Char...
what didn't you like about the 500c? i think its pretty sweet. (after i had it fixed up by a tech anyway) but i don't have a lot of experience with different types of equipment. i've only been at this for about a year, and i don't tons of money to throw around. i used to have a 5400, but sold it to buy my outlaw receiver. i've heard people say the 500 series were much better than the newer 5000 series. i'm wondering what tubes would sound like in front of one those monsters.eric
The Fisher stuff is better than most of the stuff out there, especially after being rebuilt. Is there better stuff out there? I am sure there is, but it could be a case of diminishing returns. The whole idea is to get each component as musical as you can. Each part doesn’t have to belong to any specific religion.Bob
My first Adcom was a GFA-1 and I think the Thriller album was #1 on the charts. Alot of the 555 words are from the past also. The 5500 is a much cleaner sounding amp.Look for an NAD 2400 amp (or 3400 integrated) over the Adcom 545. The NAD has a much better sound and plenty to drive your JBL's. Tubed preamps with a gain stage can work well with those SS amps. Finding the match is the key, and what others say about a certain component has zero meaning to what it does for you. The Fisher always seemed attenuated and thin. Like they are trying to push through a pipe that is too small. Just remember that what you feed it (and how much) upstream has a large affect to what hits the rest downstream.
Char...
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