Amp/Preamp Asylum: REVIEW: Horn Shoppe The Truth Preamplifier (SS) by Capt. Z

Model:	The Truth
Category:	Preamplifier (SS)
Suggested Retail Price:	$ 825.00
Description:	Active Pre-amp without Gain
Manufacturer URL:	Horn Shoppe
Model Picture:	View

Review by Capt. Z on February 25, 2010 at 17:43:12
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for the The Truth

The Truth

Right from the beginning I need to confess that I never have been a ‘Pre-amp’ guy. Through the last 20 years of my Audio time I always had power amp with a volume control and sometimes with a selector switch too. My thinking always had been: Less is more. Why have a pre-amp and an additional pair of ICs in the sign path to mess with the signal.

There was only one time when I did own a true pre amp for just a brief time, It was a Quicksilver Linestage and it did not change the sound of the music too much. Actually, it was difficult to detect much of a difference at all. But than I sold it again and bought a CJ CAV 50 tube amp. (Guess that’s more on the level of an integrated amp)

I also have a Woo3 headphone amp that can serve double duty as a Pre-amp, but I feel that it messes too much with the sound.

Let me fast forward a little. Just a few weeks ago I visited Ed Schilling again to pick up my Horns from the Hornshoppe, when Ed introduced me to his newest Invention – The Truth. If you know Ed you know that he loves to talk and explain things, and he did rave highly about this pre-amp. Also, if you know Ed, he may talk a lot, but he does not lie, so I did believe the remarks he made about the Truth.

Still I was thinking: Why do I need a Pre-amp??? Well, I don’t know why, but I did place an order for the Truth and yesterday I went by Ed’s house to pick up the Truth. Unfortunately my black enclosure case had no arrived yet, so Ed took his Truth, un-gutted it and stuck in my pre-amp. I told him not to do it, that I could wait another week, but Ed insisted that I take the Truth home and try it at home.

Well, before I did we played with the Truth and my Bottlehead SEX amp to see how it would sound. And I need to confess that the Sound was super clean, no muddling up the signal. Than Ed took my Bottlehead SEX amp and disabled the ALPS volume pot and turned it into a power amp. We than hocked the Truth up to it again and low and behold, the sound was even cleaner. Great pin point sound staging.

Well, after taking the Truth home with me I put the Truth and Bottlehead amp back into my system, and turned on the CD player. I just lower my head to read as the music started. Just a few seconds later, I popped up my head in astonishment. Listening to music I have heard many times, I heard the band member more focused at different locations in the soundstage. Before it was more a left, middle, right thing. Not that my system did not soundstage well, it actually did. But this was several levels above what I ever heard.

So far I only had the time to listen to 2 Jazz CDs, but I am totally amazed what this pre-amp does. My wife told me what I did get from Ed and after a second I said: A total revelation in clarity! I think that is the main thing about this pre amp. Just imagine looking from your living room outside through a window. No matter how well you clean the window, it is never as clear as looking to the outside without a window. That’s how I feel about the Truth. Before I always thought and felt that a pre-amp is like a window, some are very clean, some are a little smeary, but this was a complete new few – without a window.

Well, this is only a preliminary review and there is not much info on this pre amp out there, but I thought I share this with you, since this may become one of the greatest and affordable inventions in Audio.

Product Weakness:	no gain, but than that is really not a weakness.
Product Strengths:	clarity, clarity, clarity

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Bottlehead S.E.X.
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): The Truth
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Cary 308T
Speakers: Horn Shoppe Horns
Cables/Interconnects: Ridge Street
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Jazz
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	Bottlehead S.E.X.
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	The Truth
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Cary 308T
Speakers:	Horn Shoppe Horns
Cables/Interconnects:	Ridge Street
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Jazz
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner