Which < $1500 Tube Pre?
- Thread starter Flac>2>Dac
- Start date
LOL...yeah, I am. However, my budget is tight right now and I'm trying to decide between an "interim" position of like a McCormack RLD-1...which can be had for like ~$600...or just holding out a bit for one of the tube Pre-amps on my list.
Right now, I'm fighting temptation, and thinking of just cooling my jets a bit; but the feedback is still valuable. For example, if I decided to try the RLD-1, it's nice to know you thought it beat out your older ARC.
CD
The RLD-1 is a lot of preamp for $600 plus Steve McCormack has some highly regarded upgrades for it.
Yeah, you're probably right. The guy was willing to take $600, but I still wasn't sure. Just spent ~10-times that on my Special 25s, so I was a bit gun-shy...even on just $600. Really, it's because I do want a tube model like an ARC or C-J...and $600 or not, the RLD-1 just felt like a consolation.
FWIW, he turned around and listed at the $600 he was willing to take from me...and it sold in hours...lol. You snooze you lose.
CD
Well...after much hand-wringing, bartering on RLD-1s, and trying to decide between just sitting tight and giving something a try...I think I have come to terms on a Belles 21a with the Auricap upgrade! I got it for significantly less than my max $1500 budget, which it turns out I couldn't really afford after all (hence all the foot-dragging 
)
I'm not normally a "rate my purchase" kinda guy; I say grow a pair and feel confident with your decision...lol. But tube pre-amps are unchartered waters for me. I did my homework, and the Belles 21a has lots of fans (sycophants really); I even saw a reviewer prefer it over the ARC SP16L, which was one of my "high-budget" contenders. Plus I think it will (naturally) pair nicely with my Belles 150a HR.
But...what do you think of my choice; or "rate my purchase"?
CD
)I'm not normally a "rate my purchase" kinda guy; I say grow a pair and feel confident with your decision...lol. But tube pre-amps are unchartered waters for me. I did my homework, and the Belles 21a has lots of fans (sycophants really); I even saw a reviewer prefer it over the ARC SP16L, which was one of my "high-budget" contenders. Plus I think it will (naturally) pair nicely with my Belles 150a HR.
But...what do you think of my choice; or "rate my purchase"?
CD
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