Re: Preamp advice, please

Amp/Preamp Asylum

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In Reply to: Preamp advice, please posted by traneing on May 9, 2007 at 11:50:04:

I own several preamps (and hide them from my wife) that include a mix of solid state and tube units. I have the joy of comparing a pair of Dynaco tube PAS3X units, one upgraded the other stock, a NAD 1020, a Dynaco PAT4, and a Marantz 7T. The Marantz 7T is the subject of my response.
I have been doing upgrades to the Marantz 7T. The first was to replace the driver board caps, a pair of 15 ufd units. The often commented on harsh sound went away and the 7T became listenable. I next replaced the remaining three 15 ufd caps and wow ... the darn thing got very tube like with a super soundstage. I am now getting parts to upgrade the power supply with bigger caps and a regulation circuit. Down the road I will replace the RCA jacks with good quality.
The Marantz 7T can be purchased used for $250 to $450 depending on cosmetics. My parts total is less than $100 total. If you know how to use a soldering gun, the Marantz 7T makes it easy to replace parts as they are all hand wired on "air boards".
The sound of this unit is outstanding. Paired with quality tube amplification, the overall presentation is musical, spot-on imaging, great depth, and when one starts a CD or LP the recording ambiance is immediately there. Live recordings are to-die-for and very realistic.
The nice thing about the 7T is one can buy one, try it for about 6 months, then sell it for more than what was paid. You might consider this approach to getting the sound of a higher-end unit for lower-end prices. My 7T is a winner but ... am I biased?

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - Preamp advice, please - traneing 11:50:04 05/09/07 (4)

Re: Preamp advice, please - dlb945 14:29:27 05/10/07 (0)

If you DIY, the Hagerman Clarinet is a fine tubed line stage preamp. (pic) - HenryH 11:56:38 05/09/07 (2)

Thanks a lot Henry, it is well down of my budget ... - traneing 12:18:06 05/09/07 (1)

Well, if you want to spend more of your budget, a used - HenryH 09:12:40 05/10/07 (0)

Follow Ups

Re: Preamp advice, please - dlb945 14:29:27 05/10/07 (0)

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