Up until now, I have been using one of my old Sansui receivers as a preamp.
I always liked the fact that even though it was solid state, it had a certain warmth to it.
Even though the old 2000x was handling the job just fine, I thought it might be nice to have a proper preamp.
Also, I wanted to take a crack at having a system free of EQ and tone controls.
Too much mid bass causes me to make stupid faces and turn the volume down.
Having used tone controls as a crutch forever, I thought it might be a challenge.
"Tom, I'm looking for a preamp."
After looking over the shelves for a few seconds, he points to...
Five line level inputs, one tape loop, volume and balance controls.
Tube hybrid you say? I like tubes.
Foolishly, after seeing the price tag, I backed off a bit.
Since hindsight is 20/20, I can say that I should have gone this route initially. Worth every penny.
As an alternative, I auditioned the DB systems preamp.
The DB is a
very good preamp IMO. small footprint. very well made.
External power supply. Clear, accurate, and very transparent. Almost "too good" (don't ask me to explain that).
I don't think you could beat it for the price. But, no warmth.
Next up, Conrad Johnson PV-10AL.
from what I found, these were made somewhere in the 1990-93 timeframe.
Two 12AU7s live inside a a very spacious enclosure. High quality pots and switches have a nice solid feel.
The tubes just simply are marked "ECC82 - Made in West Germany".
Based on the lack of brand markings, I am going to assume these are the OEM tubes.
Since I can't leave anything alone, I am already hunting down different brands of the 12AU7 / ECC82.
I got half way through one track, before saying to myself "yes, this is exactly what I was after".
Clean, warm, and full come to mind as descriptors. I even removed the 3DB cut I had dialed in the speaker crossovers.
So, I spent the day swapping components around and came up with-
Carver DTL200 MK II CD to PV-10AL mated to a Carver TFM amp via CARVERaudio interconnects.
Next through River Current cables to a set of Snell E IIs thoughtfully placed.
"Look Ma, no tone controls!"
