Looking for a new preamp any recommendations

[mazinkaiser]

Hi guys sold my audio research sp14 to a friend and i now i miss it so much .

But anyway its time to try something else i want a tube preamp im currently looking at the following

Conrad johnson sp5
Conrad johnson sp8
Conrad johnson sp12
Audio research sp3a

Those are the ones im leaning towards has anyone had the opportunity to own or audition any of the ones listed?
What were your thoughts for phono and line stage performance?

It will be paired up with a marantz 170dc which i just finished doing a full blown frame off restoration on.

Let me know thank you

 

[mazinkaiser]

I guess while im at it might as well share some of the 170dc restoration pics

Here it rusty how i got it there was severe rust in multiple locations so i decided not to pull any punches with it


Here it is restored
I had all brackets, panels, transformer housings, top and bottom covers powdercoated in gloss black all hardware was replaced with stainless steel type








Id also like to thank Tom Catrafter for all his mentoring on this and other projects ive worked on and to everyone in audiokarma for making this the best forum and community ive ever had the privilege to belong to

 

[Miklos]

Looks like you did a real nice job rebuilding the Marantz amp. I haven't owned any of those preamps nor do I recall any comparisons with other preamps I know. From what I've heard over the years, I always thought Conrad Johnson made nice good sounding stuff; as well as Audio Research, I own an SP-6B which I really like a lot.

 

[mazinkaiser]

Looks like you did a real nice job rebuilding the Marantz amp. I haven't owned any of those preamps nor do I recall any comparisons with other preamps I know. From what I've heard over the years, I always thought Conrad Johnson made nice good sounding stuff; as well as Audio Research, I own an SP-6B which I really like a lot.

Thanks for the Kind Words Miklos the sp14 was great when i had it but im looking for a all tube preamp to balance out the solid state amp what would you say you like the most of the sp6?

thanks again

 

[BillWojo]

Audio Research SP8MKII in use here. Has a great phono stage to boot.

BillWojo

 

[arts]

I believe you may have a couple of typos in your first post; the Conrad Johnson preamps use "PV", not "SP".

In my case, I have the CJ PV5 and the Audio Research SP-3A-1. Both have magnificent performance, and exceptional phono stages. When properly restored using quality tubes, components and practices, there is very little in either vintage or modern offerings that can even approach them. I cannot see myself ever parting with either

The Audio Research SP16 is also a good all-tube machine, with the added convenience of a remote. Available as a line stage only as the SP16L, or with phono & line, as the SP16. I picked one up (SP16L to which I added the phono stage) for my workshop just for the remote, haha.

Edit: And I am still jealous of your SP8MKII Bill. I continue to look for one.....

Art

 

[Akustic]

Classics ...

Conrad Johnson and Audio Research ..

Some folks endlessly reinvent the wheel ... Others just keep perfecting what was right in the first place ..
In my book of something better than 5 decades, those are two of the most respected names in music reproduction ..
More like instrument makers than mass marketers ..

 

[Miklos]

Thanks for the Kind Words Miklos the sp14 was great when i had it but im looking for a all tube preamp to balance out the solid state amp what would you say you like the most of the sp6?

thanks again

As far as what I like most about the 6B, it's been a gradual evolution of many factors that contribute to what sounds best to me from the pieces I've tried. This was before the days of digital so my goal was the best listening experience with phono LP's and I find the 6B phono section to be very nice. I had a few solid state preamps prior to trying the 6B and mated them with several different solid state and tube amps. I listened, changed setups, traded back and forth, and eventually ended up with the 6B preamp driving my Threshold S300II and I'm still satisfied with it today.

 

[Ross6860]

Since I'm spending your money, how about a Cary SLP-98 or an AES (Cary) AE-3 DJH?

I had an AES AE-3 DJH paired with an AES AE-25 power amp and liked it quite a bit. I did however find all the tube gear I tried had a higher noise floor than the solid state gear I had. I've since sold all of my tube gear.