So I saw this video here from Josh. He talks about using a tube preamp to warm up the sound. Now I’ve been wondering and started looking into putting a tube preamp between my airist r2r dac and thx aaa one amp.
Would this even work with the “phono” preamps im seeing being listed around that are meant to use with a turn table? Some that I’ve seen are specific for turntable cartridges.
You are talkinge about some kind of buffer, bacause there ist nothing to preamplify.
Phono preamplifiers are something completely different and are only suitable for phono purposes.
I personally think these chinese firecrackers are a waste of money.
If you’re still interested, the whole thing has already been discussed here.
Yes moreso a tube buffer. I’ve been reading more into this and it seems I should go the route of getting a decent tube amp.
The schiit saga+ acts as a good tube buffer and preamp. Has 5 inputs and 2 outputs. You also have the option of not using tube stage as well. Pretty noticeable change with the tube output imo. Something I really like and can pretty much be used in any system,ie tube buff,pre amp, switcher,and volume control,i don’t feel the need to ever get rid of it.
Then there’s the balanced version, Freya +
Hello everyone im looking for a good phono preamp for my fluance rt81 turntable because i don’t know how good the built in one sounds so i am looking for one around $100 no more than this. Help is appreciated and welcomed
Don’t own these, but I will share because they are on my wishlist for my recently acquired LP60X Turntable.
Schiit Mani is the default recommendation everywhere you look. I believe @rmsanger recommended to me in my “What did you buy” post. The only reason I haven’t bought it yet is that I don’t live in the US, and import taxes are brutal here.
One I’ve been eying local is the Rega Phono A2D. From what I’ve read, it’s a great preamp and it has a USB port for ripping vinyl if you’re interested in that.
Don’t know if Vinyl veterans can give other options though. I’m only butting in because I’m also on the market for one of these preamps. Additionally, I would like to hijack and ask: any of you have experience in the difference of ripping Vinyl with these A2D dedicated converters? Is it much better than simply using a PC line in, for example?
I have the Schiit Mani and Schiit Sys (switch/volume control) combo hooked up to my active speakers and being fed by my turntable and DAP. $ per $ both schiit products have been some of the best investments over the past 5 years (I paid $150 for both at the time).
Phono is the last component in my chain that I’ve wanted to upgrade since you have to spend 10-20X to get meaningful performance improvement.
Thomas recently reviewed this and this replaced the Mani as his go to budget phono but I can’t speak for it:
Another shootout source:
https://www.nimophile.com/admin/battle-of-the-giant-killers-ifi-audio-zen-phono-vs-schiit-audio-mani/
Mani and SYS user here as well. No complaints and solid investment if you can swing the additional $30. Having had good experience with iFi products, I would think the zen phono is a solid product as well.
I have used one of these Behringer ones briefly in the past, but would not recommend it.
Behringer Microphono PP400 Ultra-Compact Phono Preamp,Silver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H2BC4E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_K8NM8K9WK2Q7TWB26QVC
Have you tried the rolls vp29?
I have not. Just the behringer, schiit and a built-in on my denon pre amp from the 80’s.
The topic of preamping is one that has intrigued me pretty early on in my audio journey. Like nearly everyone else that dives into this crazy hobby, I read a ton of material on strategic fundamentals like power purity, room considerations, speaker type and placement and so on. Preamping came into things early on for me and at first I kinda crapped on the idea.
“It’s just another way for OEMs to get more money from you. A good amp doesn’t need a preamp.” And while that may be true to some extent, I am coming to realize that that isn’t really the point. I have started some basic experimentation with preamping, which began when I bought my TA-20. And even though this amp is not a “true” tube amp, Those 2 12AU7 tubes have opened a lot of doors for me in terms of experiencing sound in new and incredible ways.
The first foray was sending the audio payload through the TA-20 and then on to the SP200 THX amp. The result was absolutely eye-opening. The normally precise, powerful and clean (and sometimes sterile) SP200 suddenly took on a whole new life. By adding just a little imperfection and flavor into the normally ultra clean THX amplification stage, a warmer, richer, more enjoyable experience was born. So then I thought " Well, if I’m having this much fun on the headphone side, will it have the same impact on the speaker side?" So I rerouted the output to the RCA input of the DA-9. AND…
It’s fucking fantastic. With a tube pre feeding the DA-9 a whole new sound is created. The triangles have never sounded this good. The sound field has a more warm, ethereal, dreamy quality to it. There is more sub bass present. Vocals are a bit more forward, but all the other detail is still there; it’s just placed a little further back. But you lose none of the detail. I am A/B testing it now and the difference is incredible. I love both signatures, and now I get to have them both at the flick of a switch!
What this exercise has shown me is that preamping is a valid solution. Tube preamping a clean, neutral class D amp produces excellent output. A sound I have come to love. Crap, now the hunt shifts to tube preamps! The TA-20 is doing a fair job, but I think a true tube preamp might bring even more interesting results.