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Pre amps. What a difference they can make.

It's been a long time since I've written on the AA but recent developments with my system have put the passion back into my listening so I thought I'd drop by and tell y'all.

For about the past year I've been experiencing a lack of detail in one speaker. It got to the stage where it was almost like a channel imbalance, although it was more like a detail imbalance - as if one channel was lo fi. It was really beginning to bug me !

It took a while but I finally narrowed it down to the pre amp - An AVI 2000. The AVI has always served me well, replacing a Rotel, then a home made passive and a short spell with a venerable Hafler. Apart from the lack of a volume knob (you just get two buttons) it's been one of the strongest links in the chain.

Anyway, I called my old man (who replaced his preamp with a balanced output preamp from ATC to go with his active speakers). He sent me the Linsley Hood designed pre amp (built from a Hart Kit) which he had been using. John Linsley Hood was a British amplifier designer who was most active in the 70's. Back in the day, Dad was considering a Quad amplifier for his BC1's but had the opportunity of hearing a JLH design against the Quad. The JLH designs have been resident until a few years ago when the ATC's were discovered.

Anyway, I unboxed the JLH pre, connected it up and had a listen. After a few issues with interference from various electronic pieces of junk (100 euros DVD players, digital TV decoders, computers) which now remain disconnected, I have to say that the improvements are nothing short of incredible. All the detail imbalance is gone (which I expected). What I did not expect was the total dissasociation of the sound from the speakers, the improvement in sound stage (in the depth plane especially), the bass (which is deeper - a lot deeper !) the background silence and just a general smoothness in the sound - which is counterpointed by an increace in detail and 'naturalness' - for want of a better word. All this from a pre amp which was probably designed before the invention of CD's.

I have lost the luxury of remote control and I no longer listen to the TV via the hi fi but I couldn't care less. I am re-discovering my record & CD collection and the magic that they can create. I am one happy camper !

Best regards,

rr


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Topic - Pre amps. What a difference they can make. - rocky raccoon 04:41:39 05/01/07 (22)

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