The 12 Most Significant Preamps of all Time

[FrantzM]

I think the TAS list is too American. It should have included:

Burmester 808
FM Acoustics 268
Kondo M10
CAT Ultimate

All of these have been around for decades and today still are among the best.

I also think a Lyra Connoisseur should be on that list.

Thanks,
Roysen

Agreed ... The Burmester 808 has been for a long time so far ahead of so many of the preamps on this list it's not funny .. Now what about the Audible Illusions preamp? Or the CLasse DR-7 ? Don't remember the exact model the big brother of the DR-5 ? Have not heard the Kondo but have heard the three others and they are still among the best and have been around for decades ... That to me is significant.

 

[LL21]

Agreed ... The Burmester 808 has been for a long time so far ahead of so many of the preamps on this list it's not funny .. Now what about the Audible Illusions preamp? Or the CLasse DR-7 ? Don't remember the exact model the big brother of the DR-5 ? Have not heard the Kondo but have heard the three others and they are still among the best and have been around for decades ... That to me is significant.

Frantz,

Just curious...i've not heard any of the ones Roysen mentioned. How would you rank the 3 preamps (808, FM268 and CAT Ultimate)? I understand its all partly system dependent...but just curious if you've got favorites here. thanks.

 

[FrantzM]

Looydelee

Have heard the Burmester not too far fro having it in my own system. And that since 1990.. Have heard it with various amps including tubes but mostly with Burmester amps. Also with various speakers including Thiel, genesis, and Sonus Faber . I have heard the Cat Ultimate several times too.. A friend of mine had the 269 with a FM Acoustics amplifer .. Never heard the Kondo

Given amp of reasonable transparency, I find that the character of a preamp is very clear and consistent. When you hear these preamps that have been around for some time in the case of the Burmester thirty two (32) Years! They are still amogst the best albeit in improved form .. And to not see them in a list of significant preamps makes you wonder ...

My favorite here is the 808... Likely my utltimate preamp.

 

[LL21]

Looydelee

Have heard the Burmester not too far fro having it in my own system. And that since 1990.. Have heard it with various amps including tubes but mostly with Burmester amps. Also with various speakers including Thiel, genesis, and Sonus Faber . I have heard the Cat Ultimate several times too.. A friend of mine had the 269 with a FM Acoustics amplifer .. Never heard the Kondo

Given amp of reasonable transparency, I find that the character of a preamp is very clear and consistent. When you hear these preamps that have been around for some time in the case of the Burmester thirty two (32) Years! They are still amogst the best albeit in improved form .. And to not see them in a list of significant preamps makes you wonder ...

My favorite here is the 808... Likely my utltimate preamp.

32 years is a pretty great record! FM Acoustics equipment also runs a long time. The CJ ART was around for 'only' 12 years, i think.

 

[Atmasphere]

I never got a good feel for why some preamps made the list and others did not. The PAS-3 I can understand as well as the Citation 1. But the ARC SP-11?? The 10 was a better unit IMO, but both had regulator design issues that were profound (prone to oscillation). If ARC were to be included it would be the SP-3 although I would prefer the Citation any day. The CAT was one of the first preamps I ever heard that was really neutral and lacking 'tube tubbyness', a problem in many preamps prior. Another favorite was the MFA Luminescence.

I think a preamp that was overlooked was the Berning TF-10. This was one of the first preamps to have a vacuum-tube direct coupled output (and certainly influenced the introduction of our MP-1 preamp, which had/has a balanced direct-coupled output in 1989).

FWIW, the MP-1 was the world's first balanced line preamp, being fully differential throughout, and pretty much introduced balanced line operation to high end audio. It is significant for that reason alone. BAT founder Steve Bednarski was an early owner and influenced the BAT concept (use of the Circlotron circuit). Not sure how others see balanced lines, but in the last 23 years its gone from a curiosity to having main stream support by a lot of bigger players.... not meaning to blow my own horn here but if you want to show an influence on the industry that one is indisputable.

 

[Gregadd]

TAS not putting the ARC SP-11 on the list? That would be a slap in HP's face.

 

[FrantzM]

TAS not putting the ARC SP-11 on the list? That would be a slap in HP's face.

Lately he's taken a spanking. Gone are the days when he was The Man ... he is kept there like a decorative item .. Sad...

 

[andromedaaudio]

For SS my favorite is ML 32 , i still havent heard the dartzeel .

For tube zanden and CAT , ARC, i havent heard CJ either

 

[Rocco I.]

Burmester 808 Mk5. The best preamp listened.