Your All Time Favorite Preamplifiers?

[Echos]

getting away from the favorite preamp discussion, and talking 'preamp' philosophy, i have some strong views. at modest levels of gear a preamp reduces performance. extra interconnects, modest circuits, and compromised build quality do restrict transparency and get in the way of the musical message. sources going direct mostly result in a net gain. sometimes integrated units with source and active preamp in a single chassis, are best at low price points.

so i do agree with you in those cases.

less is more.......until...........more is more.

at a certain point not having an active preamp will reduce energy and substance from the music. better sources and better amps deserve the better signal delivery that a top preamp can deliver. hard to define where that line is as far as dollars. but it's easy to hear.

at the top of the food chain the very top level preamps apply extreme power supply, tech and chassis approaches to make their case. they 'dig deeper' than passive can manage to do. and many times synergize with and optimize the amps too.

@Mike Lavigne - In your opinion what is that price point when less is more ? I have been hearing this in my system where I was going from a mola mola tambaqui -> ps audio bhk pre. In effect there was attenuation 6v -> 4v and from 44 ohms -> about 200. Yes the sound was 'warmer' at the expense of 'resolution'.

 

[Adco]

For me, as someone who aspires to the very best from SOTA Digital, I long believed in "The Best Preamp is no Preamp" edict. That is, a properly designed DAC with the best implemention of a volume control (like the non decimating oversampled DVC in the Mola Mola Tambaqui or by control of the reference voltage to the actual DAC chips like those in the Metrum or Sonnet) simply could not be equaled, let alone beat.

For me now, the very best preamps, not only "do no harm" but also excel in terms of drive and dynamics, which one would expect, but also in terms of detail, air, and low level resolution!!

On top of all the above, the very best Preamps, when inserted between ones' DAC and Amplifiers, can inject a level of musicality, and indeed HUMANITY, that makes it so much easier to connect with the Artist and the performance.*

* Is this effect due to the 'colorizing' or 'editorializing' effect said to be present in essentially all preamps (usually a detractors or purists)? Poviding said preamp first 'does no harm'
I simply don't know and don't care.
.

Hmm, I don’t post here often but I’d politely push back here a bit. I think associated gear is a huge factor here. I have had the Metrum and the Sonet dacs ( both extreamly good at their price point) and currently own an Auralic 3 box stack ( streamer, clock, dac) and in all cases having my Jeff Rowland Corus preamp with the Power Supply unit in between my Clayton Class A amps is far more engaging and realistic

so , the gear combo like plays into this

 

[NC Lee]

Conrad Johnson PV-5.
First time with tubes and I can still remember the awe of a note being so fat, I could almost see it float by, like a balloon.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Mayer 10y preferentially full silver differential for me.

 

[Acci]

My favorite preamp is the Tidal Audio Presencio.

Bert

 

[Maril555]

Mayer 10y preferentially full silver differential for me.

I must to concur

 

[andromedaaudio]

There can be only " one ".

 

[Audire]

The best we’ve heard to date in the EMM Labs PRE. It was an improvement over the Pass XP-22 (which is very good).

We have a Thrax and a Vitus Signature coming in for an eval though.

 

[cratin]

The best Best Pre, which I have came across in +30 yrs in hifi would be....... Cello Suite. Since then, I tried many different brands for many years...which couldn't last for 1~2 years... Finally settled down on Viola Audio Lab Solo a few years ago. Since then... My search... ended. Well, Solo is virtually the same design as Cello Suite with some improvement in circuit & PS.

 

[Atmasphere]

The best Best Pre, which I have came across in +30 yrs in hifi would be....... Cello Suite. Since then, I tried many different brands for many years...which couldn't last for 1~2 years... Finally settled down on Viola Audio Lab Solo a few years ago. Since then... My search... ended. Well, Solo is virtually the same design as Cello Suite with some improvement in circuit & PS.

If you own one of those I recommend replacing all the power supply filter capacitors. I've shown with Classic Audio Loudspeakers for many years at audio shows and the owner (John Wolff) had one of those (he since bought one of our MP-1s). About 15 years ago we were at a show and it developed a hum, which I traced to a bad filter cap and was able to replace so the show could go on; it was already old enough that filter caps in it were already failing... At this point its unlikely that the power supplies in any of those are performing to spec. When filter caps go bad, they have a disenchanting tendency to damage expensive and rare power transformers. Get it done.

 

[AMR / iFi audio]

If you own one of those I recommend replacing all the power supply filter capacitors. I've shown with Classic Audio Loudspeakers for many years at audio shows and the owner (John Wolff) had one of those (he since bought one of our MP-1s). About 15 years ago we were at a show and it developed a hum, which I traced to a bad filter cap and was able to replace so the show could go on; it was already old enough that filter caps in it were already failing... At this point its unlikely that the power supplies in any of those are performing to spec. When filter caps go bad, they have a disenchanting tendency to damage expensive and rare power transformers. Get it done.

Highly recommended. Often those caps can leak, and the electrolyte from inside will corrode the device's chassis. I recommend replacements from Audio Note, Mundorf, Nippon Chemicon, Jensen and Kemet. Very good components that will serve you a long time.

 

[dr k]

Why is it that most of these ultra high-end, expensive preamps lack a balance control, which IME is essential to get correct soundstage and imaging due to either channel imbalance in the recording or asymmetric loss hearing between our left and right ears? Some argue balance control degrades the sound, but this can be circumvented by having two volume controls, one for each channel (eg, Lamm) or other methods (Atmasphere).

 

[gian60]

The best SS preamp i had 30 years ago was Dennesen Gold and now CH L1with X1

The best tube i had ANJ M10 and Audiotekne 9501

But the best absolutly i had and was stupid to sell was Dissanayake Reference

Here line preamp with phono MM and external power supply for line and phono

 

[DasguteOhr]

The best SS preamp i ever heard, Higher Fidelity 2623 with phono eq 2002 build like a tank. Sounds gorgeous
I'm a big fan of nem audio tube gear, when i win in lottery a dream.
Tube:EL12, 5U4GBVoltage
Gain:10db Maximum output voltage:20V RMS
Input Impedance:10K OhmOutput Impedance:60 Ohm
Frequency Response:3-60000 hz (-3db)Noise:-90db Inputs:4 RCAOutputs:1 RCA, 1 XLRUnit
dimensions:460*460*205?? Unit weight :43 kg

 

[morricab]

The best SS preamp i ever heard, Higher Fidelity 2623 with phono eq 2002 build like a tank. Sounds gorgeous View attachment 98329 View attachment 98330
I'm a big fan of nem audio tube gear, when i win in lottery a dream.
Tube:EL12, 5U4GBVoltage
Gain:10db Maximum output voltage:20V RMS
Input Impedance:10K OhmOutput Impedance:60 Ohm
Frequency Response:3-60000 hz (-3db)Noise:-90db Inputs:4 RCAOutputs:1 RCA, 1 XLRUnit
dimensions:460*460*205?? Unit weight :43 kg
View attachment 98331

NEM is cool

 

[LL21]

The best SS preamp i had 30 years ago was Dennesen Gold and now CH L1with X1

The best tube i had ANJ M10 and Audiotekne 9501

But the best absolutly i had and was stupid to sell was Dissanayake Reference

Here line preamp with phono MM and external power supply for line and phono

Most interesting...just saw this when looking up the Dissanayake Reference. Interesting his comments have some striking similarities to yours!

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/3961

Quotation from the site:

"Description
I had my first system at the age of nine, my father didn't appreciate my passion for audio at that time. Since then many things have changed and I finally ended up with this system.

You can see on the same shelf two masters of the art of sound reproduction: Kondo and Dissanayake. The first needs no introduction while probably you never have heard about the second.

Well folks, let me tell you that I would never have achieved the same results in truth of timbre, reality of 3D acoustic image and easyness of emission without the discovery of Dissanayake Kamasutra preamplifier, a truly work of art."

 

[gian60]

Kamasutra is the top preamp he did

 

[gian60]

This is the new pre Dissanayake is doing,he sent to me the photo 2 days ago

 

[LL21]

This is the new pre Dissanayake is doing,he sent to me the photo 2 days ago

Thanks! A new flagship perhaps?

 

[LL21]

Kamasutra is the top preamp he did

What is it about this preamp that has been better than other preamps? It sounds like possibly even the CH?