Need New Preamp/Amp

[saabracer23]

The maverick is a great piece and considered a wonderful DAC, beating out many other DACs above its price point. It is limited on inputs. I use the optic in for my CD player and to stream music from my Apple TV. I just unplug one and plug in the other. The analog is used for my turntable. My brother and I were doing some serious listening last night and man does this thing sound good. It's surprising the difference in sound you can get by switching out tubes. The upgrades that were made were a better tube and better burr brown opamps from the factory. That took the price from $179 to $229. I like the idea of using this as my pre because it eliminates one more device from the signal chain. You should really give one a shot and if you truly don't like it you'll have no problem selling it.

Dan

 

[Seppo]

If you want a good integrated, check out Onkyo A-9050. It has pre-outs too.

I have been very happy with my Onkyo A-9070 (9050's big brother), both as an integrated and as a pre-amp (currently).

 

[prighello]

Parasound Classic 2100 preamp. It's a full featured preamp with a phono stage (MM, MC), tone controls, subwoofer out with variable frequency crossover, HT bypass and almost a tape loop (record out RCA's). It also has a remote. $695

You got me Joe; off by $5 The 2100 was the one I was thinking about though. I also seem to recall an Adcom 800 series that might fit the OPs budget. Otherwise, for 300-500 with phono section he's likely going to have to buy used. I went down this road not to long ago myself and found there to be a real dearth of full featured preamps under a grand. Hence why I went with an outboard phono section.

 

[sqlsavior]

IME "passive" preamps seem to be lacking in drive/dynamics. In addition IME they usually can't adequately drive long IC's. An autoformer based passive preamp may work for you. The only way to know for sure is to audition one.

They do like short interconnects in th, especially going to the amp. Less than 2' is best. Lacking drive/dynamics is a misnomer. Kicked my active to the upstairs system. A BH tube pre, good in it's own right.

In my experience, my transformer passive pre has neither of these drawbacks. When I ran the Luxmans, I had 5 meters of cable from the Fosgate to the TVC, and another 4 meters between the TVC and the amps. Dynamics were stunning.

 

[Chaostoday]

I love the idea of a DAC and the maverick sounds nice. Just concerned about features and growth.
If I had a choice between the Maverick (New), Parasound 2100 (new) or Emo USP-1 (used) which would win?
Any others???

 

[prighello]

The 2100 does not have a built in dac; you'd need to jump to the P5 for that. It really comes down to what you need. What are your sources? CDP and TT? If so then skip the dac/pre and just get a pre. If PC is a source then a dac/pre is a good idea.

Keep in mind, for a lot of these cheaper dac/pre's the pre side is an after thought and might be just a passive attenuator after the dac output e.g. a passive pre. Do you need gain? If not, these can work fine. What's the input impedence of your amp and how many volts to get it to full power? This will help with the active vs passive decision. I dismissed the Maverick in my search due to it's high output impedence of 5K ohms.

Again what do to you need in a preamp? Active or passive? Built-in DAC? Built in Phono (MM or MC or Both)? Tone controls? Remote? Lots of inputs or just a couple? The answers to these questions will help narrow down the possibilities.

 

[JoeESP9]

The OP stated he doesn't need a DAC in the preamp. That's why I suggested the 2100.

 

[Chaostoday]

I am following the suggestion of JoeESP9 for the amp. Crown XLS-1002. He thinks the 2100 will work well with it. I like that it has tone controls although I rarely use them. I think most good set-ups don't need them. I like having the MM/MC switch on the 2100 as well. I use an MC now but I have 4 turntables so cartridges change. I also like the extra inputs as I want to use this system as a bench test for cable design and other future inputs.
The Emotiva USP-1 is a very interesting piece as well. I would have to buy used though but have seen some around. Watching one now unless you tell me to stay away. I'm guessing the Parasound is superior in many ways to this unit.
DAC isn't needed and the opinion that budget DAC/Pre's are inferior seems very justified. I will be running the system at 8 ohms.

 

[prighello]

. I will be running the system at 8 ohms.

The 2100 is a solid choice. The speakers being 8ohm has nothing to do with the input/output impedence between the pre and amp. I don't know the specs of the crown amp but as it's a pro sound amp I'd bet it will drive any speaker just fine. Basically to match a pre to an amp you want the input impedence of the amp to be at least 20 times the output impedence of the pre to get a good match. Also, you want the pre to put out enough voltage to bring the amp to full power; the amp should specify the number of volts to get full power and the pre should put that amount or more out. In my experience Parasound preamps usually put out a lot of voltage so that should not be a problem. Good luck

 

[Chaostoday]

The 2100 is a solid choice. The speakers being 8ohm has nothing to do with the input/output impedence between the pre and amp. I don't know the specs of the crown amp but as it's a pro sound amp I'd bet it will drive any speaker just fine. Basically to match a pre to an amp you want the input impedence of the amp to be at least 20 times the output impedence of the pre to get a good match. Also, you want the pre to put out enough voltage to bring the amp to full power; the amp should specify the number of volts to get full power and the pre should put that amount or more out. In my experience Parasound preamps usually put out a lot of voltage so that should not be a problem. Good luck

Do you think the Crown is wrong being a Pro sound amp? will it be warm enough for home use or maybe too harsh? I'm not sure why some other options for amps weren't thrown my way but I have been yielding to the experts more than my personal preferences.

 

[prighello]

I'm sure the crown is fine, lots of people use it in their homes and I'd expect it to measure flat. My question is why do you want 200 wpc? Your speakers are 90 db. How big is your room? What kind of music do you like? How loud do you usually listen at? You might find you don't need 200 wpc at all. Also, what is your combined budget and have you considered a quality integrated amp or is separates a must have? Just some things to consider... I've been through about ten times the amount of gear as in my sig to arrive where I'm at today for better or worse.

 

[Chaostoday]

I'm sure the crown is fine, lots of people use it in their homes and I'd expect it to measure flat. My question is why do you want 200 wpc? Your speakers are 90 db. How big is your room? What kind of music do you like? How loud do you usually listen at? You might find you don't need 200 wpc at all. Also, what is your combined budget and have you considered a quality integrated amp or is separates a must have? Just some things to consider... I've been through about ten times the amount of gear as in my sig to arrive where I'm at today for better or worse.

$500-800 for both pieces. I have always wanted a much higher end sound but the best I have ever had was my Onkyo receivers. My room is 12x20 and I was considering an integrated. I just was given the impression that integrated was taboo so I went to separates. I have always wanted them and love to drive my system with power while having very little distortion. It's been 25 years since I've had a true 2 channel higher end system. Something worth bragging about. Something that's respected in the world of Audiophiles and on this forum.
I want my ears to hear things they haven't heard in a long time. The crispness of a Hi-Hat cymbal, the keys on a piano, acoustic guitar....

 

[prighello]

I see. Well integrateds are certainly not taboo here so please at least consider them unless you really want separates. In fact, with your budget I'd steer you away from separates and into an integrated. One of the newer Yammies might fit the bill for you. As for hearing the details you are after; well I'm not really sure that's solved solely with new gear or more power per se.

Speakers play an enormous part and are the primary source of distortion. You're got pretty good speakers from what I can tell. It might be prudent to see if you can in home trial some gear before committing to a purchase.

 

[Chaostoday]

I see. Well integrateds are certainly not taboo here so please at least consider them unless you really want separates. In fact, with your budget I'd steer you away from separates and into an integrated. One of the newer Yammies might fit the bill for you. As for hearing the details you are after; well I'm not really sure that's solved solely with new gear or more power per se.

Speakers play an enormous part and are the primary source of distortion. You're got pretty good speakers from what I can tell. It might be prudent to see if you can in home trial some gear before committing to a purchase.

I bought a Yamaha RX-V673 and I hate it. No power and muddy sound. I know it's a lower end HT receiver but I got it for a smaller room because of the HDMI and the iOS applications. It's also nice to have an AirPlay receiver but just absolutely hate the sound.

 

[JoeESP9]

That HT oriented receivers usually don't sound very good on two channel music is a given.

A Yamaha AS-501SL (85WPC, $549) integrated is enough to drive 90dB sensitive speakers to very loud levels. IMO, it's an especially good looking piece.

 

[Chaostoday]

That HT oriented receivers usually don't sound very good on two channel music is a given.

A Yamaha AS-501SL (85WPC, $549) integrated is enough to drive 90dB sensitive speakers to very loud levels. IMO, it's an especially good looking piece.

Ok now we are talking. A whole new ball game. Is this a solid unit? Will it deliver the sound of the Parasound 2100 with the Crown Amp?
I think I like the A-S701 better it has a removable power cable that I can condition. It also has a little more power. 100W discrete power should be real good.
Please let me know honest thoughts on this piece as I'm ready to buy today. I just want my system running good in this important room.

 

[Seppo]

Ok now we are talking. A whole new ball game. Is this a solid unit? Will it deliver the sound of the Parasound 2100 with the Crown Amp?
I think I like the A-S701 better it has a removable power cable that I can condition. It also has a little more power. 100W discrete power should be real good.
Please let me know honest thoughts on this piece as I'm ready to buy today. I just want my system running good in this important room.

Just a reminder about checking out the Onkyo A-9050 , it is a dedicated 2 channel integrated (with pre-outs), and my 9070 sounds great IMO. Amazon has it for $399 at the moment...

 

[Chaostoday]

Just a reminder about checking out the Onkyo A-9050 , it is a dedicated 2 channel integrated (with pre-outs), and my 9070 sounds great IMO. Amazon has it for $399 at the moment...

Omg!! I'm so sorry I missed your post. You already must know I'm an old Onkyo guy. I have 5 currently (most people think I have a problem..lol)
I'm trying to do the research now. But love the built in DAC in the 9050. I know it's not perfect but has seen some nice reviews.
Now I would like to hear from others. If I'm comparing to the A-S701 or A-9050 which one? Any others? I would like the 9070 but not sure I can spend that money right now.

 

[prighello]

The onkyo a9050 is pretty solid, I use one in my office. Can't speak to the as701 as I'm not owned that one but the difference in wattage between the two will be negligible in real world use. As a generality onkyos tend to be warmer than yammies from my experience. Just and FYI on the onkyo, the dac does not have use input if that matters to you.

 

[JoeESP9]

Ok now we are talking. A whole new ball game. Is this a solid unit? Will it deliver the sound of the Parasound 2100 with the Crown Amp?
I think I like the A-S701 better it has a removable power cable that I can condition. It also has a little more power. 100W discrete power should be real good.
Please let me know honest thoughts on this piece as I'm ready to buy today. I just want my system running good in this important room.

I was taking your stated budget into account. The Yamaha AS-701SL is actually my choice as it includes a DAC. IMO in Silver it's very good looking.