juptonstone
Member at Large...
Several weeks ago, i did some buying/selling/horse trading and in the process picked up a cosmetically flawless but untested 4.6 preamp. All told, it cost me $250.
I have seen the previous model, the 4.5 sell for $450 so i figured if it worked i had scored... big time.
According to a StereoReview Mag.--- review, this preamp has an excellent phono stage.. is at the top of the mid-fi arena and best of all is upgradeable. The separate power supply can be be replaced by a new, much more expensive one that apparently puts this this beast on a competitive level with preamps costing two and three times as much.
Well.. i received it yesterday and after carefully re-routing all of the wiring so that no electrical wires run near it... i turned it on today with hopes and prayers.
First things first. I tested the preamp using my Thorens TD 165, upgraded with TP16 tonearm and using a Sumiko Blue Point #2 cartridge. My test records were Makoto Ozone's Now You Know and Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra. I chose these two lps because they really test a cartridge, preamp and speakers. They run the gamut of sound and instrument and both are extremely well engineered and pressed vinyl... compared to my Carver C-6, i can say that before the review begins, the phono section of the PS Audio 4.6 is far superior.
I also tested it using my Denon DCM 460 CD player. For this test i listened to Bruce Marshall Group Kalispell - good old fashion rock, and Christina Aguilera Stripped. The latter, because if i have ever heard an album that is both subtle and brash... this is it.
When i got the Sumiko cartridge, i did so because i knew that within my budget, it would give me the best possible sound. Same with my CD (at least as far as disc changers go). Now with the 4.6 i am finally beginning to hear what that cartridge and CD truly offer. Dont get me wrong, the Carver is an excellent preamp and has many features that the 4.6 does not. But within thevrange of its inputs and outputs, the 4.6 brings out subtleties that that Carver does not. A little tingle of symbol is now distinguishable as a cymbal being struck by thr drummers brush. That is a huge difference.
On the down side, if you have a lot of equipment, you will need Y connectors or a second preamp. The PS Audio 4.6 has one phono onput that is internally switchable between MM and MC cartridges. It has two tape inputs, one tuner input and one CD input. That is the extent of the devices that the 4.6 supports. Like the Carver, it also has two external outputs for separate amps.
Unlike most preamps, the 4.6 has no tone controls. It has a stepped volume and a stepped balance. They can can becset to stop between steps. Other than that it has two input selectors for yse when recording and a power switch that does not cut the power, but rather disconnects the outputs. It also has a mono mode, and a selection called straightwire. This disconnects the preamp from the source allowing only volume and balance to function. Using this setting eliminates any possible coloration from the preamp... although i have found that to be miniscule at most.
Having said all that, if you can find a PS Audio 4.6, do not hesitate to buy it. I know that my goal is to find the upgraded power supply. The 4.6 is a keeper that only gets better.
I have seen the previous model, the 4.5 sell for $450 so i figured if it worked i had scored... big time.
According to a StereoReview Mag.--- review, this preamp has an excellent phono stage.. is at the top of the mid-fi arena and best of all is upgradeable. The separate power supply can be be replaced by a new, much more expensive one that apparently puts this this beast on a competitive level with preamps costing two and three times as much.
Well.. i received it yesterday and after carefully re-routing all of the wiring so that no electrical wires run near it... i turned it on today with hopes and prayers.
First things first. I tested the preamp using my Thorens TD 165, upgraded with TP16 tonearm and using a Sumiko Blue Point #2 cartridge. My test records were Makoto Ozone's Now You Know and Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra. I chose these two lps because they really test a cartridge, preamp and speakers. They run the gamut of sound and instrument and both are extremely well engineered and pressed vinyl... compared to my Carver C-6, i can say that before the review begins, the phono section of the PS Audio 4.6 is far superior.
I also tested it using my Denon DCM 460 CD player. For this test i listened to Bruce Marshall Group Kalispell - good old fashion rock, and Christina Aguilera Stripped. The latter, because if i have ever heard an album that is both subtle and brash... this is it.
When i got the Sumiko cartridge, i did so because i knew that within my budget, it would give me the best possible sound. Same with my CD (at least as far as disc changers go). Now with the 4.6 i am finally beginning to hear what that cartridge and CD truly offer. Dont get me wrong, the Carver is an excellent preamp and has many features that the 4.6 does not. But within thevrange of its inputs and outputs, the 4.6 brings out subtleties that that Carver does not. A little tingle of symbol is now distinguishable as a cymbal being struck by thr drummers brush. That is a huge difference.
On the down side, if you have a lot of equipment, you will need Y connectors or a second preamp. The PS Audio 4.6 has one phono onput that is internally switchable between MM and MC cartridges. It has two tape inputs, one tuner input and one CD input. That is the extent of the devices that the 4.6 supports. Like the Carver, it also has two external outputs for separate amps.
Unlike most preamps, the 4.6 has no tone controls. It has a stepped volume and a stepped balance. They can can becset to stop between steps. Other than that it has two input selectors for yse when recording and a power switch that does not cut the power, but rather disconnects the outputs. It also has a mono mode, and a selection called straightwire. This disconnects the preamp from the source allowing only volume and balance to function. Using this setting eliminates any possible coloration from the preamp... although i have found that to be miniscule at most.
Having said all that, if you can find a PS Audio 4.6, do not hesitate to buy it. I know that my goal is to find the upgraded power supply. The 4.6 is a keeper that only gets better.
