Do any of WBF members notice that I have switched from ARC 40th Anniversary Preamp to a Bespoke Audio TVC Passive Preamp (silver transformer version)?
I did that about 1 year ago.
Then why I post this thread so many months later?
It's because I saw the following Bespoke at the Hong Kong dealer (Volent HK)'s showroom last week.
It's so eye-catching!
And suits the coming Xmas so well! haha
The boss of Bespoke Audio is Mr. Harry O'Sullivan. He entertains nearly any requests from their clients.
According to Ben Lau of Volent HK, this particular client went to a make-up counter in a department store and bought a lipstick of the red colour which he liked most.
He then mailed the lipstick to Harry for matching the colour tone of the Bespoke preamp chassis ordered.
Harry is so meticulous that even the screws holding the connectors at the back has the matching red colour.
Red colour chassis is too loud for me.
My own Bespoke silver transformer preamp is much more unassuming :
However I have some special requests for Harry too.
A Bespoke preamp can at most has 3 outputs and 6 inputs.
The original connectors for a Silver Transformer Version are Neutrik silver xlr but I asked for installing Furutech rhodium and gold connectors too.
For the rca inputs, I selected WBT NextGen one gold and one silver.
This combination of diff connectors has facilitated me to mix & match the preamp with diff components and cables easily :
During my 20+ years of audiophile journey, I owned/used many top active preamps : Spectrals, Gryphons, the past ARCs, ML 26S, ML 32 and the last one was ARC 40th Anniversary Preamp.
The latter is definitely no slouch. I had also upgraded its tubes with very good NOS : 1950s blackplate 6550 and Russian military 6H30-DR.
However when I home-trialed a Bespoke copper transformer version, I found that my ARC 40 could not surpass it in all aspects.
I then took the plunge and bought the Bespoke silver transformer version. After a period of burn-in, I compared it with the ARC 40 in more details.
The Bespoke Silver won easily in most areas, particularly in transparency, agility, micro-dynamics & resolution.
The only slightly inferior aspect is in soundastage depth/layering which has been remedied by adding a Taiko Audio Setchi D3 active groundbox.
After being sure of the comparison result, my ARC 40 was sold.
Yes, passive preamps are not in the mainstream. Most audiophiles employ active preamps.
However it's my experience that TVC or autoformer types of passive preamps if used in a suitable audio system, can fight easily with active preamps costing two times or more!
And the Bespoke Audio passive preamps are the best in the class of passive preamps.
IMHO they are Unassuming Stars!
I did that about 1 year ago.
Then why I post this thread so many months later?
It's because I saw the following Bespoke at the Hong Kong dealer (Volent HK)'s showroom last week.
It's so eye-catching!
And suits the coming Xmas so well! haha
The boss of Bespoke Audio is Mr. Harry O'Sullivan. He entertains nearly any requests from their clients.
According to Ben Lau of Volent HK, this particular client went to a make-up counter in a department store and bought a lipstick of the red colour which he liked most.
He then mailed the lipstick to Harry for matching the colour tone of the Bespoke preamp chassis ordered.
Harry is so meticulous that even the screws holding the connectors at the back has the matching red colour.
Red colour chassis is too loud for me.
My own Bespoke silver transformer preamp is much more unassuming :
However I have some special requests for Harry too.
A Bespoke preamp can at most has 3 outputs and 6 inputs.
The original connectors for a Silver Transformer Version are Neutrik silver xlr but I asked for installing Furutech rhodium and gold connectors too.
For the rca inputs, I selected WBT NextGen one gold and one silver.
This combination of diff connectors has facilitated me to mix & match the preamp with diff components and cables easily :
During my 20+ years of audiophile journey, I owned/used many top active preamps : Spectrals, Gryphons, the past ARCs, ML 26S, ML 32 and the last one was ARC 40th Anniversary Preamp.
The latter is definitely no slouch. I had also upgraded its tubes with very good NOS : 1950s blackplate 6550 and Russian military 6H30-DR.
However when I home-trialed a Bespoke copper transformer version, I found that my ARC 40 could not surpass it in all aspects.
I then took the plunge and bought the Bespoke silver transformer version. After a period of burn-in, I compared it with the ARC 40 in more details.
The Bespoke Silver won easily in most areas, particularly in transparency, agility, micro-dynamics & resolution.
The only slightly inferior aspect is in soundastage depth/layering which has been remedied by adding a Taiko Audio Setchi D3 active groundbox.
After being sure of the comparison result, my ARC 40 was sold.
Yes, passive preamps are not in the mainstream. Most audiophiles employ active preamps.
However it's my experience that TVC or autoformer types of passive preamps if used in a suitable audio system, can fight easily with active preamps costing two times or more!
And the Bespoke Audio passive preamps are the best in the class of passive preamps.
IMHO they are Unassuming Stars!
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