Back to a SS preamp, for now anyway.
- Thread starter Lavane
- Start date
I prefer a SS over tube preamplifier with my tube amplifiers. The Audio Research SP-5 never really cared how it sounded on SS gear. Gave it one last chance before sending it down the road. Placed it with two Magnavox chassis pulls one a 6BQ5 the other a 6V6. Glad I did it really shines in this combo.
Have a Dynaco PAS3 and it may well just be the way the volume contour is. It just seems lacking.
Using a Denon PRA-QS10 with a ST-10 that also is sweet. Not all SS preamplifiers work well thou a Carver C-1 seemed finicky to many options. Always messing with something every other song it seemed. A plain Jane NAD is a good choice on a budget IMHO.
Have a Dynaco PAS3 and it may well just be the way the volume contour is. It just seems lacking.
Using a Denon PRA-QS10 with a ST-10 that also is sweet. Not all SS preamplifiers work well thou a Carver C-1 seemed finicky to many options. Always messing with something every other song it seemed. A plain Jane NAD is a good choice on a budget IMHO.
Some tube preamps are just too tubey. Almost heretical to say it, but when I had a Marantz 7c/8b pair here I thought the pairing was just a little too much syrup. It wasn't bad exactly but i thought it was better with my Moscode and Kieths SP9.
The pre would have been a better pairing with a slightly edgy power amp. I should have run it with my Phase Linear.
The pre would have been a better pairing with a slightly edgy power amp. I should have run it with my Phase Linear.
Lavane
Lunatic Member
Ya, some of the earlier Marantz gear had that "two martini sound".
I've heard it called "the big fat round sound" as well. From '75 on that sound was disappearing though. I have that clone of rhe Marantz 7C preamp thats just the line stage, with the tone stack and phono pre removed. It has a nice clean sound, but not harsh at all. The next preamp I gwt will be simpler. Something along the lines of just two tubes for the preamp section and two for the phono section.
Lavane
Lunatic Member
I had a Marantz model 33 and a model 3300 SS preams that worked very well with tube amps. Then in '75 the 3600 and 3200 preamps came out and they just weren't a good match to my ears.
So, my main tube preamp is acting up again for a second time. And since most everything is on a PCB I really don't feel like taking this thing apart again. Its a different problem this time and I'm just not sure I want to spend any more time and money on it. So I connect up my faithful little Marantz 1060 integrated amp using rhe pre-out jacks. This little Marantz has a really nice preamp section and phono pre. Its nice and clear sounding yet has a very smooth easy to listen to overall sound to it.
I can listen to it all day. I restored it some years back going all out using Leestereo's BOM
Until I decide to get a new preamp I'll just keep using the 1060. Honestly after dusting this thing off I'm in no hurry to shell out for something else.
I have a really nice Marantz 3200 that @Ben LaVigna restored for me. I use it with many different tube amps and I absolutely love that pre. I’m with you on this, keep your $$ and just use that for now!!
Lavane
Lunatic Member
I had bought the 3200 after picking up a couple matching model 140 power amps pretty cheap. I restored it as well. I actually preferred it to the TOTL model 3600 preamp. The 3600 just sounded sterile to me. Maybe it was the arcane OP amp they used in the 3600? The person I eventually the 3200 to still has it and likes it. Replacing those flat gray mylar film caps with Polypropylene film caps on the phono preamp board in the 3200 was defenetly an improvement. I think I used Panisonic ECW polypropylene film caps if I remember right. Everyone has there favorite film caps though.
lightcapture
Super Member
That's a desirable integrated amp. It's also beautiful.So I connect up my faithful little Marantz 1060 integrated amp using rhe pre-out jacks. This little Marantz has a really nice preamp section and phono pre. Its nice and clear sounding yet has a very smooth easy to listen to overall sound to it.
I can listen to it all day.
I use a mid-80s Yamaha preamp. I can testify manufactures got electronics sorted out by the 80s-90s, so when you look for a preamp that era has exceptional electronics.
arts
Addicted Member
Yessir, and even the good ones don't seem to survive. Despite using quality Bourns trimmers in their equipment, the ones used by Audio Research have caused no end of problems for many techs. My own D70 MKII went through 3 or 4 other "techs" before I purchased it, essentially as unrepairable and sold for scrap. While it had many other issues, those trimmers were the root of most of the evils. I'm guessing many techs just don't see a trimmer as a failure item. Not a lot of fun to change, though.
Lavane
Lunatic Member
When having to deal with plated through hole solder pads I sometimes have to cut the leads, or legs of the bad part first. Then heat up the solder from the back side while pulling the snipped off leads out with needle nose pliers from the other side. Then its much easier to suck the solder out.
arts
Addicted Member
We used the 301 for field work and experienced the same problems on the heavyweight boards, even when the leads were cut. Don't know why it couldn't get the job done, as it is a temperature controlled/regulated iron. We solved the problem by using a regular iron to heat the component side and the 301 on the other side. Not convenient or easy, but it'll git 'er done. Mind, these were some really hefty boards with big traces
Edit; not for your usual applications, these boards were (usually) 0.125" (1/8") with 4 to 10 oz/ft² copper.
Edit; not for your usual applications, these boards were (usually) 0.125" (1/8") with 4 to 10 oz/ft² copper.
Last edited:
albusark
Dynaco Fan
Not much of a difference in my experience between a ss preamp and tube, it's more about the circuit design. It's akin to an audio microscope, whatever produces a good image. EAR tube phono preamp will beat 90% of phono preamps in a simple A/B listening test, that's just because it's a great classic circuit that stands out. I think what's more important is that the designer listened to the preamp and tuned it by ear as much as they did with numbers and measurements, which often look great on paper and sound bad.
With the line level amplifier that's where I want coloration and shaping of the signal, a good tube amp can't be beat. It's not about accuracy but the sound of the circuit.
With the line level amplifier that's where I want coloration and shaping of the signal, a good tube amp can't be beat. It's not about accuracy but the sound of the circuit.
Last edited:
Lavane
Lunatic Member
I have one of the EAR clones, not the best one, but after doing the mods to it Stephie did it sounds pretty darn good. My son had been using it, but its back with me now. I'm debating doing one last mod that involves using a better power transformer. A while back I built one of the CNC SS MM phono preamps and power supply. The thing punches way above the cost to build it. It has dip switches also to adjust the impeadance. I added it to a passive preamp I built, but it can be used as a stand alone phono pre. It cost me around $100 at the time for everything I needed for the phono pre itself minus that chassis.
It can use 5 different OP amps, so you can taylor the sound to your liking mixing and matching OP amps. You would have to spend a lot more to find something better. Out of the 5 phono pre's or phono sections in equipment that I have, the CNC is my favorite.
Attachments
Last edited: