Solid State Preamp Reviews

Sort By: Post Date | Title | Publish Date
Threshold FET 10 preamplifier
Solid State Preamp Reviews, J. Gordon Holt
J. Gordon Holt  |  Feb 03, 2007  |  First Published: Sep 03, 1987  |  0 comments
This product is a pre-trol. What, you may well ask, is a "pre-trol?" Well, Threshold Corp. calls its FET-10 a preamplifier, but it isn't, really. In fact, it isn't an It at all; it's a Them. Only half of Them is a preamp, and you can buy each half separately. If that sounds a little confusing, maybe it's because some of the old, familiar language of audio is starting to lose its relevance.
Continue Reading »
Klyne Audio Arts SK-5A preamplifier
Solid State Preamp Reviews, J. Gordon Holt
J. Gordon Holt  |  Feb 03, 2007  |  First Published: Sep 03, 1987  |  0 comments
Klyne Audio Arts has an almost Zen-like approach to the design of its products. Like the best Japanese designs, Klyne's preamps are aesthetically pleasing in appearance, do exactly what they're supposed to, and their controls are not only where you would expect them to be, but have an almost sensually smooth action. Internal construction, too, is a work of art—the kind of design which, transferred to a tapestry, would grace the wall of any listening room. You have to see the insides of a Klyne preamp to appreciate how attractive-looking an audio component can be. But physical beauty is only one aspect of Stan Klyne's designs; of all the electronics manufacturers I know of, Klyne Audio Arts also makes products more adjustable than any others, so as to appeal to the needs of what I call compulsive tweaks.
Continue Reading »
Krell Evolution 202 preamplifier & 600 monoblock power amplifier
Solid State Power Amp Reviews, Solid State Preamp Reviews
Wes Phillips  |  Dec 17, 2006  |  0 comments
Talk about going from the ridiculous to the sublime. One day I'm reviewing the $139 Sonic Impact Super T power amplifier, and the next day Krell Industries delivers their $10,000 Evolution 505 SACD/CD player, $15,000 Evolution 202 preamplifier, and their $30,000/pair Evolution 600 monoblocks.
Continue Reading »
Simaudio Moon Evolution P-8 preamplifier
Solid State Preamp Reviews
Kalman Rubinson  |  Nov 12, 2006  |  0 comments
The P-8 ($11,000) is the second of Simaudio's Moon Evolution series that has passed through my system, following on the heels of the Moon Evolution W-8 power amplifier, which I reviewed in March 2006. Fortunately, the P-8's arrival preceded the W-8's departure, so I was able to use them together as well as with other components.
Continue Reading »
Music in the Round #20
Solid State Preamp Reviews, Music in the Round
Kalman Rubinson  |  Oct 01, 2006  |  First Published: Sep 01, 2006  |  0 comments
Bryston describes its SP2 multichannel preamplifier-processor ($4995) as consisting of a stereo analog preamp with a volume-controlled 5.1-channel analog pass-through plus a full-featured multichannel digital audio processor, and claims that none of those functions compromises any of the others. The analog preamp is fully equivalent in features and performance to their BP26 preamp. The digital processor includes all the latest Dolby Digital, DTS, and THX modes, and is based on Texas Instruments' powerful Aureus DSP chip, which can be updated via an S/PDIF input. The digital and analog sections have independent power supplies, and there are no video inputs or functions other than a control port for the optional, external SPV-1 video switcher.
Continue Reading »
Sutherland Direct Line Stage preamplifier
Solid State Preamp Reviews
Sam Tellig, Brian Damkroger  |  Sep 17, 2006  |  First Published: Jan 17, 2006  |  0 comments
I've had the pleasure of using The Direct Line Stage Line Stage (originally called the Director) from Ron Sutherland for the past few months. This active line-stage preamp (it has no phono section) is available from Acoustic Sounds for $3000.
Continue Reading »
McIntosh C1000 preamplifier system
Solid State Preamp Reviews, Tube Preamp Reviews
Michael Fremer  |  Aug 27, 2006  |  0 comments
Still burning in my bank of childhood memories are misty images of the glowing green lettering on the McIntosh tube preamps and tuners that populated the windows of the audio stores that once lined lower Manhattan's Cortlandt Street. Leonard's and most of those other retailers are long gone—as are most of the audio brands that shared their windows with McIntosh, and that once symbolized the might of American innovation and manufacturing. Even the World Trade Center, the controversial complex that replaced Cortlandt Street's "Radio Row," where the hi-fi industry was born, is tragically gone.
Continue Reading »
Sonic Euphoria PLC passive line stage
Solid State Preamp Reviews
Brian Damkroger  |  Jan 29, 2006  |  0 comments
Life used to be simple. A preamp was a phono stage, a line stage, and the controls necessary to manage a system. Sure, there were exceptions, but for the most part you could say "preamp" and everyone knew what you meant. With the rise of the Compact Disc, however, phono stages became standalone components or optional extras, and most manufacturers concentrated on the line stage and controls, pursuing the ideal of "a straight wire with gain."
Continue Reading »
Mark Levinson No.326S line preamplifier
Solid State Preamp Reviews
John Atkinson  |  Jan 14, 2006  |  1 comments
Conceptually, the preamplifier is the bottleneck in an audio system. All sources pass through it, and it influences every sound you hear. A system comprising great speakers and gutsy amplification will sound uninspired if that's the character of the preamplifier. Conversely, a great preamplifier will allow through so much information, so much of the music, that the listener can forgive the shortcomings of lesser speakers and amplifiers.
Continue Reading »
Viola Audio Laboratories Cadenza preamplifier
Solid State Preamp Reviews
Wes Phillips  |  Dec 18, 2005  |  0 comments
"So what are you reviewing now?" A polite question, considering that my old friend Randy is definitely not an audiophile.
Continue Reading »
Burmester 011 preamplifier
Solid State Preamp Reviews
Brian Damkroger  |  Jul 24, 2005  |  0 comments
Back in 2003, while auditioning the Burmester 001 CD player ($14,000, reviewed in the December 2003 Stereophile, Vol.26 No.12), I discovered that my system sounded much better if I bypassed my preamplifier and ran the 001 directly into the power amps. I concluded by suggesting that potential customers consider building a system around the 001 itself and forgo a preamp altogether. The response from Burmester fans was immediate and unambiguous: As good as the 001 was on its own, it sounded even better run through its stablemate, Burmester's 011 preamplifier ($15,999). The pair had, they claimed, a significant synergy that I absolutely had to hear. It's hard to argue with determined German logic, and I'd begun shopping for a new preamp anyway. So here we are.
Continue Reading »
Bryston BP25-MC preamplifier
Solid State Preamp Reviews
Larry Greenhill  |  May 30, 2005  |  First Published: Oct 30, 1996  |  0 comments
The Bryston BP-25MC preamplifier is a full-function control center with one balanced and four single-ended inputs, including one input for a moving-coil cartridge. The BP-25 is shielded in a black steel cabinet said to reduce electromagnetic interference effects. The power transformer is housed in a small external chassis, the BP-PS. The BP-25's remote control allows volume up/down, along with buttons for mute and absolute polarity. Signal switching and audio connections, including balanced and unbalanced input and output connectors, are heavily gold-plated to provide good long-term connections. A 12V AC/DC screw terminal connector on the rear of the power supply provides convenient use when used in conjunction with the remote start feature optionally available on Bryston power amplifiers.
Continue Reading »
HeadRoom Total BitHead headphone amplifier
Solid State Preamp Reviews, Budget Component Reviews, Headphone Reviews
Michael Fremer  |  Dec 26, 2004  |  0 comments
When, on his long-running TV variety show, Jackie Gleason used to order up some "traveling music" from music director Ray Bloch, he got a live orchestra's worth. But when Gleason, a composer and conductor in his own right (he wrote his show's unforgettable theme song, "Melancholy Serenade"), actually traveled, his listening options were severely limited compared to ours. By the time the comedian died in 1987, Sony had introduced the Walkman cassette player, but Apple's iPod was still more than a decade in the future.
Continue Reading »
McIntosh C200 preamplifier
Solid State Preamp Reviews
Paul Bolin  |  Oct 15, 2004  |  First Published: Oct 01, 2004  |  1 comments
In August, I reviewed McIntosh's MC501 monoblock power amplifier. In terms of what I'd thought was possible from Mac, this was a revelation. Once memories and lurking preconceptions had been set aside and the amps installed in my system, the MC501 easily established itself as among the finest overall performers I have ever reviewed.
Continue Reading »
Cello Palette Preamplifier
Solid State Preamp Reviews
Lewis Lipnick  |  Aug 01, 2004  |  First Published: Jun 01, 1992  |  0 comments
Founded in 1984 by Mark Levinson, the man responsible for the original Mark Levinson products (footnote 1), Cello has slowly become more visible within the high-end audio consumer market, as well as establishing a presence in the recording industry with very high quality microphone preamps, tape electronics, power amplifiers, and equalizers. Taking a holistic approach, Levinson offers Cello systems complete from preamplification and equalization stages through amplification to loudspeakers. He can also set up a complete recording studio for you, including the microphones, microphone preamplifiers, and tape decks. Cello manufactures their own interconnect and speaker cables, cutely called "Cello Strings." Besides marketing his products through high-end dealers, Levinson has established two showrooms, in New York and Los Angeles, dedicated to sales of Cello systems and components (as well as a few selected source components from other manufacturers).
Continue Reading »

Pages

X