Salt Peanuts Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 So after 3 months, I'm getting bit tired of needing to get up each time I want to change the volume. Assuming some unexpected expenses don't come up, I've been thinking about Adcom GFP-750, maybe in a month or two. Are there anything else I should be looking for? Also, anyone know anything about PS Audio's P-200? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grawk Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 I'm reasonably happy with my NAD 116. Decent phono stage, remote, several inputs, and it even has a balanced output stage (no idea how good tho). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salt Peanuts Posted September 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 what is your budget? tubes or solid state? need balanced? how many inputs do you want? I can't believe I forgot to put all that in the post, even though I was thinking about them. Max of $1000, and preferably less than that. No preference really on solid state or tube, and balanced would be nice but won't be a deal-breaker if it's not. As for number of inputs, anything more than two would be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahame Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 Cambridge Audio Azur 840E on Audiogon for $850 Specs Remote, Inputs: 8 pairs gold plated RCA stereo phono inputs 2 pairs XLR balanced inputs Audio Outputs: 2 pairs gold plated RCA stereo phono outputs 1 pair XLR balanced outputs + headphone out ... Its a thought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salt Peanuts Posted September 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 Cambridge Audio Azur 840E on Audiogon for $850 I saw that and I'm sure it would be a nice match to my 840c, but I doubt it'll still be there when my fund is ready, and I'm weary of buying from someone with no feedbacks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_hankins Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 Any of the older Classe preamps are going to be nicer sounding than the Adcom. The 47.5, 60, and even the 35 are all very good preamps. Also the BAT VK-3i is very good. The Krell HRC-2 or 3 come to kind too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postjack Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 I saw that and I'm sure it would be a nice match to my 840c, but I doubt it'll still be there when my fund is ready, and I'm weary of buying from someone with no feedbacks. same guy is selling his on head-fi. he has some feedback Still, it seems like most of his feedbacks are from overseas, so he probably is to. His zip code isn't complete in his agon ad. Ah fuck it I wouldn't buy from him either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvdunhill Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 Any of the older Classe preamps are going to be nicer sounding than the Adcom. The 47.5, 60, and even the 35 are all very good preamps. Also the BAT VK-3i is very good. The Krell HRC-2 or 3 come to kind too. I like the VK-3i as well, but despite all my recommendations no one as tried it out.. It has an excellent phono stage as well and the remote can serve for home protection as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Enigma Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 I have to echo the BAT as well. Another nice tube based preamp that can be had with an remote is the Cary/AES AE-3. They seem to go for $700-800 for the DJH edition with remote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahame Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 same guy is selling his on head-fi. he has some feedback Still, it seems like most of his feedbacks are from overseas, so he probably is to. His zip code isn't complete in his agon ad. Ah fuck it I wouldn't buy from him either. given his statement I am in Sydney and the feedback Tong sold me his UE TF10s all the way from Australia I'd say there is no probably about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salt Peanuts Posted September 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 I had forgotten about the BAT preamp, but I haven't seen for sale in my price range, at least no the ones with remote. Anyone tried AES/Cary AE-3 MkII? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvdunhill Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 I had forgotten about the BAT preamp, but I haven't seen for sale in my price range, at least no the ones with remote. Anyone tried AES/Cary AE-3 MkII? you can get a BAT VK-3i with remote shipped for less than $1k. I sold mine with remote, phono, and nice NOS tubes for $1200 shipped and PayPal'ed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n_maher Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 Salty, Time to sell your soul, brother, a guy just listed a BAT VK-20 on Head-Fi for $1200. Retail (w/ remote and phono pre) was just shy of $3000. Heck, maybe he'd meet you halfway and go $1100? FS: BAT GEAR Pre and CDP - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvdunhill Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 Salty, Time to sell your soul, brother, a guy just listed a BAT VK-20 on Head-Fi for $1200. Retail (w/ remote and phono pre) was just shy of $3000. Heck, maybe he'd meet you halfway and go $1100? FS: BAT GEAR Pre and CDP - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio meh.. solid state... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigiPete Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 meh.. solid state... Yah..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guzziguy Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 meh.. solid state... You mean like the Pearl? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvdunhill Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 You mean like the Pearl? oh yeah..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guzziguy Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 oh yeah..... Not that I have a need for either one, but I'd love to hear an MM cartridge shootout between a Pearl and a Bottlehead Seduction (with C4S). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigiPete Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 Not that I have a need for either one, but I'd love to hear a MM cartridge shootout between a Pearl and a Bottlehead Seduction (with C4S). If you can get a Bottlehead Seduction (with C4S), Ive got the Pearl;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n_maher Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 meh.. solid state... I have nothing for that other than . Either can be made to sound glorious and I'll never pick one or the other simply on the camp it belongs to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guzziguy Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 Ive got the Pearl;) Great, now all you have to do is get the Seduction. I have nothing for that other than . Either can be made to sound glorious and I'll never pick one or the other simply on the camp it belongs to. While I generally prefer tubes, I agree with this. Of course, both can be made to sound simply horrid too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigiPete Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 Great, now all you have to do is get the Seduction. That's you're job, since you want a comparison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvdunhill Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 I have nothing for that other than . Either can be made to sound glorious and I'll never pick one or the other simply on the camp it belongs to. well, I'm about to own my first SS preamp, but this choice was out of necessity, as a SS preamp that fits the bill for my setup simply doesn't exist (commercially) and my Blowtorch wannabe clone won't do the trick either, without some serious playing around (don't think I won't try, but ... ) All this to say that I really like tube preamps with solid state amplification. I ran a BAT/Ayre setup for a long time and it's a magical combination, no doubt. Also had a ARC and Krell SS amps as well and both really liked tubed preamps. Then there is the VTL preamps which are amazing as well. My response was somewhat kidding, somewhat knee jerk response Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigiPete Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 Luvdi, What ss preamp are you getting? DIY ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guzziguy Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 That's you're job, since you want a comparison I'm definitely a job. As I said, I really don't need a phono preamp at the moment. Even so, I was tempted to get in on the Pearl group buy. I'm curious, about how much are the parts and casing costs? I might have found a Seduction for us to compare against. Posty has one. Jack, are you coming to CanJam LA? If so, can we convince you to bring it? Please? <snip> All this to say that I really like tube preamps with solid state amplification. I ran a BAT/Ayre setup for a long time and it's a magical combination, no doubt. Also had a ARC and Krell SS amps as well and both really liked tubed preamps. Then there is the VTL preamps which are amazing as well. My response was somewhat kidding, somewhat knee jerk response My preference is a tube preamp with a tube amp. I also like to have tubes in my sources. My speaker setup is based around an Anthem Int-1 integrated amp (with 15 tubes) and its source is an Ah! Tjoeb 99 (2 tubes). My headphone setup is an eXemplar Denon 2900 (2 tubes) into an SP Platinum Extreme. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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