wdb@uunet.UU.NET (W. Billowitch) (05/08/91)
I am in the market for a line level preamp. I cuurently own an AGI-511, which in its day was quite good, but is feeling ill lately. Here are some of my requirements. 1. No phono section ( I use only line level sources ) 2. <= $ 2500 3. Quiet ( no hum, buzz, hiss, snap, crackle or turn-on pops ) 4. Sufficient drive capability ( running 25 ft. low capacitance cable to a pair of monoblocks ) 5. All of the expected audiophile qualities of transparency, soundstage, not etched or grainy, no mist. solid bass, silky highs, etc. 6. Solid state or tubes ( doesn't really matter..well it does, but I can be convinced ) Nice to have but not required : 7. Balanced outputs Bill Billowitch -- prefer reply's on the newsfeed, but email is OK wdb%vhdl@uunet.uu.net uunet!vhdl!wdb
barnes@uunet.UU.NET (Tim Barnes) (05/11/91)
If you can relax the drive requirement (e.g. by moving the power amps and getting more speaker cable), the First Sound Reference I and Reference II passive control units are stunning. I'm using the Reference I with a Music Reference RM-9 tube amp and it's gorgeous. I've tried a number of passives and the First Sound gadgets are much the best (for reasons I don't altogether understand). Cost? $1200 or $1800. The difference is shielding, gold plate, and the 20 vs. 30 steps on the attenuators. The design is completely symmetrical dual mono. I haven't found ANY preamps which give the immediacy of this combination. -- / / Manager, Framework Technology - Cadence Design Systems -/- o /__ ___ __ ___ ___ ___ 555 River Oaks Parkway / / /\ /\ / / ___/ / / / /__/ /__ San Jose, CA 95134 /__ / / \/ \ /__/ /__/ / / / /__ ___/ barnes@cadence.com (408) 944 7222
JAP1@ns.cc.lehigh.edu (Joe Padula) (05/13/91)
With regards to line level preamps, here's my two cents worth. I have had a very happy experience with an Audio Research LS-1. I believe it meets all of your criteria except for balanced outputs although I'm not positive about drive capability - I used 15' interconnects with no problem. You could check with a dealer or ARC about that. IMHO, the LS-1 is one of ARC's better sounding preamps and has, in the ARC tradition, excellent build quality. Also, I believe that ARC has just come out with an LS-2 which has balanced outputs. The LS-1 lists for $1500 (if it hasn't gone up) don't know about LS-2.