I could toss my Conrad Johnson PV14L into the fray here--it's my first "high end" component and I can tell a difference from the Hafler it replaced. The sound is full, rich, and the soundstage is totally locked in, compared to the Hafler (which was plenty good for my past usage, but I now hear its shortcomings). This pre uses the somewhat obscure Mullard M8080 tubes. I tried some 6C4s but found any of those I tried were highly microphonic. The military CV4058/M8080 from Mullard is the shizz here. I have one spare set at the moment, but will likely get a few more sets as funds allow, since they are not too expensive at the moment.
The power amp isn't a high-end manufacturer per se, but it's a Nak PA-7, designed by the (in)famous Nelson Pass and using the Stasis technology, same as the Threshold power amps back in the day. I am debating recapping it and keeping it, or getting one of the Conrad Johnson MF series MOSFET power amps to match the preamp.
I came from a Carver M500t power amp; I can't say it was a fantastic amp, but the "t" (transfer function) modification voiced it similar to a high-end amp, and I have to say the Carver was a lot more musical than the crappy Rotel I had in my system briefly (talk about a bland, antiseptic sounding amp that had no cojones whatsoever). And despite the rating of the PA-7 being 200 watts/channel vs. the Carver's 251 w/ch, the PA-7 just has a lot more "oomph" than the Carver (which seems to run out of steam--the PA-7 plays through dynamics far more effortlessly than the Carver could ever hope to).
I considered tube amps, but given the heat and power usage and ongoing expense of tube changes, plus my desire to give my speakers a full 200 watts, I am still not sold on that idea. I'd want an amp that put out at least 150 watts per channel, perhaps more. And in tube land, that gets very pricey. I haven't ruled it out (I like the CJ Premier 140, a pair of Premier 12s, or one of VTL's power amps), but I also start reminding myself how impractical it could be to own these.
The power amp isn't a high-end manufacturer per se, but it's a Nak PA-7, designed by the (in)famous Nelson Pass and using the Stasis technology, same as the Threshold power amps back in the day. I am debating recapping it and keeping it, or getting one of the Conrad Johnson MF series MOSFET power amps to match the preamp.
I came from a Carver M500t power amp; I can't say it was a fantastic amp, but the "t" (transfer function) modification voiced it similar to a high-end amp, and I have to say the Carver was a lot more musical than the crappy Rotel I had in my system briefly (talk about a bland, antiseptic sounding amp that had no cojones whatsoever). And despite the rating of the PA-7 being 200 watts/channel vs. the Carver's 251 w/ch, the PA-7 just has a lot more "oomph" than the Carver (which seems to run out of steam--the PA-7 plays through dynamics far more effortlessly than the Carver could ever hope to).
I considered tube amps, but given the heat and power usage and ongoing expense of tube changes, plus my desire to give my speakers a full 200 watts, I am still not sold on that idea. I'd want an amp that put out at least 150 watts per channel, perhaps more. And in tube land, that gets very pricey. I haven't ruled it out (I like the CJ Premier 140, a pair of Premier 12s, or one of VTL's power amps), but I also start reminding myself how impractical it could be to own these.
