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The biggest and baddest Pre Amplifiers of all time?

Dazaa said:
I do genuinely believe that the JVC falls in to that category of Perfection over Profits, it weighs 18KG and when I heard it working properly the other day for the first time I was honestly blown away by the sound, can't wait for my tech to finish the phono issues and get it playing with my Wilson speakers!
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This all sounds good and I hope it's a keeper for you.
 
4-2-7 said:
Well what professional environment would need equipment like this?

A recording studio would have no need for it.
A live stage setup would have no need for it.
A PA system would have no need for it.
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Well,I'll make a blanket statement on this issue:

In my (rather considerable) experience in the music/recording industry,the only use any of these units would have in a ''professional'' environment would be as a door stopper or as a fat paperweight. These were designed and marketed for one purpose: To impress the ignorant.
 
4-2-7 said:
I do find it funny with a lot of the old preamps having 40 switches on them, they where selling what looked like complexity.

Facts are the shortest signal path is best for sound quality and to keep the preamp away from switches.
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What functions an individual wants is their choice. Some people want a preamp that has recording functions and tone controls. Well designed preamps with those functions can switch them out of the signal path.
 
Mark B said:
What functions an individual wants is their choice. Some people want a preamp that has recording functions and tone controls. Well designed preamps with those functions can switch them out of the signal path.
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Not entirely correct;

Yes,the tone control circuits can often be bypassed,but unfortunately you are still using switch contacts to achieve this.Same goes for all of the routing functions.
Frankly,I have learned that switch contacts are often (actually,most often!) the greater evil when it comes to inducing noise and signal degradation in the signal path.

Replacing a wonky electronic component is generally easy. Finding a replacement switch,especially of the custom variety often used in these units,is usually impossible.
 
arts said:
These were designed and marketed for one purpose: To impress the ignorant.
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arts said:
Yes,the tone control circuits can often be bypassed,but unfortunately you are still using switch contacts to achieve this.Same goes for all of the routing functions.
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arts said:
Frankly,I have learned that switch contacts are often (actually,most often!) the greater evil when it comes to inducing noise and signal degradation in the signal path.
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Agreed on all three counts.
 
4-2-7 said:
Yeah I was thinking the same thing looking at the JVC JP-V1000 in the OP.

I don't know your age but you keep trying to say how this JVC is a "Professional" type piece of equipment. You allude to rack mounts and handles and a overburden of do-dad switches that has only to do with the time it was built. Mostly the Japanese gear and some other manufactures used all that as a gimmick to sell equipment. To make it look more impressive to the buyer and as such can show off for their friend in a home environment. For one thing what we saw in the US by JVC was department store goods that would be sold right along side York, Sound Craftsmen and Panasonic at JC Penny, Sears. I have seen very few good electronics from JVC other than a few nice turntables. All the while never hearing about the brand used in any professional environment


Well what professional environment would need equipment like this? In the office of a record company executive?

A recording studio would have no need for it.
A live stage setup would have no need for it.
A PA system would have no need for it.
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How about a professional home environment...
 
arts said:
Not entirely correct;

Yes,the tone control circuits can often be bypassed,but unfortunately you are still using switch contacts to achieve this.Same goes for all of the routing functions.
Frankly,I have learned that switch contacts are often (actually,most often!) the greater evil when it comes to inducing noise and signal degradation in the signal path.

Replacing a wonky electronic component is generally easy. Finding a replacement switch,especially of the custom variety often used in these units,is usually impossible.
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I agree that those who don't desire features such as recording functions and tone controls should avoid such preamps.

My preference in preamps is for a simple and transparent signal path. I use passive line stages in 2 systems and a buffered line stage in my main system.
 
arts said:
Well,I'll make a blanket statement on this issue:

In my (rather considerable) experience in the music/recording industry,the only use any of these units would have in a ''professional'' environment would be as a door stopper or as a fat paperweight. These were designed and marketed for one purpose: To impress the ignorant.
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I agree but I might pull back a bit from the word ignorant... though with some, yes... personally, agreeing with you, I'm not ignorant but I do like to be impressed. Look at all those buttons and switches... I've always been impressed with the cockpit of an airliner... I wonder how much of that stuff is actually necessary... and it bleeds over a bit into stereo 'stuff'... besides, you might have girls over... and, along with your ride... you know how that is...
 
Ya know....Just thinking about it.... The best pre-amps are the ones you don't hear. My DB Systems is like that. It really doesn't have a sound of its own. The 1978 era Mark Levinson was another. Some pre-amps had a sound of their own, like Marantz, Crown, and McIntosh, to name a very few.

So, it hasn't been discussed, but how WERE the GAS pre-amps? I only ever heard them with Ampzilla's and a bunch of loudspeaker I didn't like too much.
 
Dazaa said:
Technics A2, fully class A, one currently for sale at almost £70k
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Virtually all preamps run class A.

A notable distinction IMHO, however, is whether or not the design requires corrective feedback to achieve linearity which it does. Like those using gaggles of op amps such as the MBL found on the first page.
 
FONSguy said:
So, it hasn't been discussed, but how WERE the GAS pre-amps? I only ever heard them with Ampzilla's and a bunch of loudspeaker I didn't like too much.
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Heard a Thaedra vs a JC-2 back in the 70s. My reviewer friend was evaluating it vs. his reference JC-2 at the time. It was pretty good sounding, but not to me equivalent to either the Levinson nor an SP-3a.
 
That Crown DL-2 could be chained to add more of the preamps in the control scheme as needed. Also has computer connection. I never knew of any used in either of these two ways.
 
4-2-7 said:
I paid a pretty penny for this Sony SQD 2020 around 7 years ago but then never really used it as I started drifting from quad stuff. It's pretty rare though.

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Sony built some nice stuff for that line. The little cube amps you could use with the active crossover, Zone control, ect. My neighbor has an odd little box from this line also. Something to do with adding reverb when recording. That's all it did.
 
Lavane said:
Sony built some nice stuff for that line. The little cube amps you could use with the active crossover, Zone control, ect. My neighbor has an odd little box from this line also. Something to do with adding reverb when recording. That's all it did.
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I'v been thinking since I pulled it out for photos. I had bought aTascam TSR-8, 8 Track reel to reel. See the Sansui mixer under the Sony?

IMG_0694.jpg

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I wanted to set it up as four 2ch tracks
1&2
3&4
5&6
7&8
2ch track list as soon as I can get a 4 tape dec selector. But the Tascam doesn't have gain controls so it was a pain to record with as it should be hooked to a sound board. The Sansui I could not get it to work to control the input volume. But maybe the Sony 2020 would work better for this. It has individual volume controls as well as being able to select different tape lines.
 
4-2-7 said:
I'v been thinking since I pulled it out for photos. I had bought aTascam TSR-8, 8 Track reel to reel. See the Sansui mixer under the Sony?

View attachment 1175386

View attachment 1175388 View attachment 1175389

I wanted to set it up as four 2ch tracks
1&2
3&4
5&6
7&8
2ch track list as soon as I can get a 4 tape dec selector. But the Tascam doesn't have gain controls so it was a pain to record with as it should be hooked to a sound board. The Sansui I could not get it to work to control the input volume. But maybe the Sony 2020 would work better for this. It has individual volume controls as well as being able to select different tape lines.
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That might work. One of the reasons I like the early to mid 70's Sony equipment is the added features. The 3200F power amp I have has speaker switching in the power amp, 1/4, 1/2 and full output selector and input gain controls along with dual input selector. You could setup a nice simple stereo without a preamp. A couple sources, speakers and your set.
 
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