What Is Your Favorite Pre-Amp?

[Kegger]

At the moment an anthem PRE-2L.

 

[gyusher]

The one and only

Sony TAE-N77ESD

I think I got the model number right. . . Sold it to BigYank. . .cried a lot. . .bought it back about 3 or 4 months later then sold it again about 6 months later. . .Big mistake. . .

Funny how fast you get used to something then once it is gone you realize what you are missing. . .Just like women. . .

Speaking of women. . . .

 

[Drizzt]

Best preamp I have is a Bryston 0.5B, probably not considered vintage but it's still 19 years old.

 

[Fishstink]

For Solid State

I like my GAS Thaedra. Quite the preamp.

 

[agger]

Pioneer SPEC 1 - Seven of them, ...
Everybody add pictures if you got them. Mine will be added later.
Retro

WHAT, you have 7 SPEC-1's !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is totally unfair! You should give away 6 of them to other AK'lers (I would take over the transportation cost to Europe for mine )

If you don't do that, then.....
...you should at lest show us the stack of all 7 !!!!

 

[Retro Stereo]

Yeah but six of them are in use.....

Tell you what, when I get the two back from EchoWars (and then I have one more to ship down to him), I'll show you five of them, but I'm not pulling them out of racks just to stack for a picture, so, I guess I'll just have to take a picture of the five racks. :scratch2:


Retro

 

[wineslob]

I love my Lux c-o2 pre, discrete, uses an Alps volume pot, and sounds nearly as good as a CJ from the same vintage, 86'. :thmbsp:

I lust over almost any of the newer Mac preamps, or CJ stuff.


Retro, after staring at your avatar, I REALLY need to go "talk" to my wife!

 

[john_w]

Sansui AU-717

That is an integrated amp. But it might still qualify if you're only talking about the preamp section, since it has pre-out connections.

In that case, I would have to include my AU-9500, which I've used to feed to pre-outs into the AU-919's power input, due to the inclusion of a stereo mic input, and the fact that it has more line-level inputs.

Then again, the AU-919's preamp section (also detatchable) has the MC phono input that the 9500 lacks. So I'll have to include that one in my list as well.

 

[hifi_nut]

My Beard CA-35, which for me sounds better than the Audio Research LS-7 I owned before that. And it´s got double phono inputs to boot.
Jorge

 

[doug s.]

m.a.r. full-monte modded melos ma333r. i am not looking to replace this, & i haven't been for several years.

doug s.

 

[Holst]

Honorable mentions to my old Luxman C120a and I have fond memories of the SPEC1

But.... my McIntosh c27 is the last stop for me. I had been plugging direct from my tuner and CD player into my amp, the C27 made no audible difference. It has a great phono preamp, stepped attenuator's for volume and tone (stereo tone controls to boot), it's built like a tank, really pretty and a real bargain compaired to a lot of Mc prices.

 

[doug s.]

Honorable mentions to my old Luxman C120a and I have fond memories of the SPEC1

But.... my McIntosh c27 is the last stop for me. I had been plugging direct from my tuner and CD player into my amp, the C27 made no audible difference. It has a great phono preamp, stepped attenuator's for volume and tone (stereo tone controls to boot), it's built like a tank, really pretty and a real bargain compaired to a lot of Mc prices.

if your preamp made no audible difference to running your cdp & tuna straight in to your amp, then you need a beter preamp!

ymmv,

doug s.

 

[Holst]

It wasn't a tuna that I plugged straight into my amp, it was a sea bass.

 

[doug s.]

It wasn't a tuna that I plugged straight into my amp, it was a sea bass.

are ya fishin' for trouble?

doug s.

 

[House de Kris]

If I were to limit this to vintage gear, then I'd have to vote for the RGR Model 4. Great phono section, and more power supply capacitance than a typical 100WPC amp of the time (their claim, not mine). Since Bully gave the OK for modern gear as well, then I'd have to say my current preamp is my fave, the Theta Casablanca.

I'll give an honorable mention to Crexrun's Technics SU-9070 as well, very nice preamp.

 

[johndoe3]

Spec-1!

I also cast a vote for Pioneer Spec-1. But alas, I only have one! :tears:

 

[Negotiableterms]

Vintage - SAE Mk IB... years and years ahead of its time.
New - McIntosh C-200... just as significant, only 30 years later, the first reliable, straightforward 2-box preamp.

 

[mageworlder]

Carver C-1. Because I have (an early) one and the sonic holography is oh so cool.

 

[Jim Eck]

GAS Thoebe, drives my two Sons of Ampzilla very well, excellent phono section. Theadra I believe may have an even better phono section.


Jim

 

[bolly]

she's still new to me, but I think it's this one

Bryston 11B