Moving to Actives !!!

[arj]

Now I am in the hunt for a better tube pre amp. Cary SLP98 is very sweet sounding but I want to find out what more details can still be unearthed. If you have recommendations please share. Will be grateful

Do they recommend Passive preamps with this ? As long as you have enough gain in the system ( which I assume from the above) , you will gain in transparency and details ( eg Music first, Silvercore )
As the other option, since you have been used to tubes , a tube based preamp with a balanced out might be a great option as well.( Airtight, Audio research etc )

Maybe you could contact other ATC owners on Audiogon and AudioAsylum for their advice ?

 

[deepestpurple]

Do they recommend Passive preamps with this ? As long as you have enough gain in the system ( which I assume from the above) , you will gain in transparency and details ( eg Music first, Silvercore )
As the other option, since you have been used to tubes , a tube based preamp with a balanced out might be a great option as well.( Airtight, Audio research etc )

Maybe you could contact other ATC owners on Audiogon and AudioAsylum for their advice ?

Yes, AirTight I am auditioning. Problem is with other premium bands. It will end up being a blind purchase. Cary Audio sound I really like. So one option is to upgrade to SLP05 Ultimate Version. I do not if anyone from Bangalore has Wavac, Audio Research pre. Else I could have requested for a demo.

 

[karthik_ashok]

ATC love. Have been following edmund_vinyl on insta, and his ATC SCM 150 active. sounds sublime. Congratulations on buying one of my bucket list speakers - active as well

 

[arj]

Yes, AirTight I am auditioning. Problem is with other premium bands. It will end up being a blind purchase. Cary Audio sound I really like. So one option is to upgrade to SLP05 Ultimate Version. I do not if anyone from Bangalore has Wavac, Audio Research pre. Else I could have requested for a demo.

Best way is to ask owners about their experiences and also any reviewers. they might tell you more than what they write . On Audiogon shadorne is one guy .

Do look at Ayre as well while you are at it.

 

[Miany]

Yes, AirTight I am auditioning. Problem is with other premium bands. It will end up being a blind purchase. Cary Audio sound I really like. So one option is to upgrade to SLP05 Ultimate Version. I do not if anyone from Bangalore has Wavac, Audio Research pre. Else I could have requested for a demo.

Yes. SLP 05 is a definite step up.

 

[AVM]

Congrats. Super gear. Enjoy

Derailing it.. I spent the entire evening listening to recent new comers ATC 19 into my living space. Driven by EAR tube pre & tube power amplification the ATCs presented thrilling experience.

 

[square_wave]

You should consider this also.

Rhumba 1.4 linestage tube preamplifier – Backert Labs tube preamps

The Rhumba 1.3 is our most surprising tube preamplifier. Fully balanced input and output. Jaw-dropping sound. The Rhumba sells for $4,500.

backertlabs.com

@sidvee , uses this. I loved it in his Wilson audio setup. No details loss. It also gives that tube glow without getting in the way. Knowing sidvee,...he is super nit-picky about details, this might be a good choice.

With that speaker, you living room will be a concert venue, no ? I was listening to grateful dead all weekend. I can imagine with the 150's how it will be. Some day...sigh !

 

[Miany]

Congrats. Super gear. Enjoy

Derailing it.. I spent the entire evening listening to recent new comers ATC 19 into my living space. Driven by EAR tube pre & tube power amplification the ATCs presented thrilling experience.

I too had the ATC 19. Excellent speakers, which i later upgraded to ATC 19 Actives. The Actives are a different ball game.

 

[deepestpurple]

You should consider this also.

Rhumba 1.4 linestage tube preamplifier – Backert Labs tube preamps

The Rhumba 1.3 is our most surprising tube preamplifier. Fully balanced input and output. Jaw-dropping sound. The Rhumba sells for $4,500.

backertlabs.com

@sidvee , uses this. I loved it in his Wilson audio setup. No details loss. It also gives that tube glow without getting in the way. Knowing sidvee,...he is super nit-picky about details, this might be a good choice.

With that speaker, you living room will be a concert venue, no ? I was listening to grateful dead all weekend. I can imagine with the 150's how it will be. Some day...sigh !

Yes, thats what people have opined so far. Life like real sound. True concert feeling. And thanks for the recommendation. Will connect with Sidvee to get more details.

 

[thedude]

Now I am in the hunt for a better tube pre amp. Cary SLP98 is very sweet sounding but I want to find out what more details can still be unearthed. If you have recommendations please share. Will be grateful

I tried KR Audio P130 from an FM with my SCM40 passives and it sounded significantly better vs Schiit Freay+. Happy to share further details if it helps

 

[Miany]

I tried KR Audio P130 from an FM with my SCM40 passives and it sounded significantly better vs Schiit Freay+. Happy to share further details if it helps

Did you use the Freya with the stock tubes? I have tried Schiit Freya (not the plus version) with upgraded 6SN7s from Northern Electric. It was excellent. Speakers were SCM 19 actives. With stock tubes, it just introduced a tube flavor to the sound.. thats all.

 

[thedude]

I used a loaned freya+ stock which was pretty much new so wasn’t broken-in. It sounded grainy and increased the noise floor which really surprised me..as I haven’t read any negative feedback anywhere. However the KR was an old one and was dead silent and very clean sounding.

the freya not doing well could be because of various reasons and I’m not sure what exactly those are. May be it didn’t match with nuprime sta-9s? Etc etc

the FM owner of freya says it’s now burned in and it’s playing much better. I guess I can only try it once more and see if it does well

 

[Miany]

I used a loaned freya+ stock which was pretty much new so wasn’t broken-in. It sounded grainy and increased the noise floor which really surprised me..as I haven’t read any negative feedback anywhere. However the KR was an old one and was dead silent and very clean sounding.

the freya not doing well could be because of various reasons and I’m not sure what exactly those are. May be it didn’t match with nuprime sta-9s? Etc etc

the FM owner of freya says it’s now burned in and it’s playing much better. I guess I can only try it once more and see if it does well

In my case, Freya was really silent, even in tube mode. Freya+ is supposed to be better with respect to tube mode. But to get the real performance, say bye-bye to stock tubes and get something good. Also, the gain is really high in tube mode. I always had to reduce the volume to very low levels before switching to tube mode.

On another note, Where did you buy the Nuprime amplifier from?

 

[thedude]

That’s why I was surprised as my experience was contrary to usual feedback I get on the freya.

I carried the NuPrimes from US in Jan this year. They are due for upgrade

 

[square_wave]

I tried KR Audio P130 from an FM with my SCM40 passives and it sounded significantly better vs Schiit Freay+. Happy to share further details if it helps

KR Audio is a well regarded maker of some fine audio gear. Well known in the inner circles of tube aficionados. I have heard their Kronzilla amp. Extremely good. Is the comparison fair ? A 5000 euro one vs a ~ 1000 $ one ?. Especially for tube gear. Prices goes up exponentially when you try to make them better.

 

[thedude]

KR Audio is a well regarded maker of some fine audio gear. Well known in the inner circles of tube aficionados. I have heard their Kronzilla amp. Extremely good. Is the comparison fair ? A 5000 euro one vs a ~ 1000 $ one ?. Especially for tube gear. Prices goes up exponentially when you try to make them better.

Not trying to compare...it wouldn’t be fair (but yes when I re-read my post, it came off as a comparison ). I tried only two pres in my setup and just shared what I have observed.

I also mentioned that the higher noise level from Freya could be because of a reason other than the freya itself because the owner says he hasn’t experienced the noise floor in his system.

The owner FM is generous and is lending me the Freya again today (it’s now broken in). Will try and post my observations in a day or two.

 

[deepestpurple]

Tried driving the 150's via AirTight ATC 1. The chemistry is just not there I have previously heard the same ATC 1 with Devore Fidelity, First Watt SIT 4, Avid Ingenium. That combination sounded divine. Goes to prove the point again, "matching is everything" - does not matter how much you spend

 

[lithiumnk]

Tried driving the 150's via AirTight ATC 1. The chemistry is just not there I have previously heard the same ATC 1 with Devore Fidelity, First Watt SIT 4, Avid Ingenium. That combination sounded divine. Goes to prove the point again, "matching is everything" - does not matter how much you spend

Have you tried a DHT pre ?
I know implementation matters irrespective of tubes but after trying 45 DHT pre with scm19v2 at my friends place the difference was easily noticeable as compared to a EAR 12ax7/12aux7 based pre (864).
The sound was bigger, dynamic, more holographic, speakers disappeared better.
There was more tonal weight & extension.

 

[deepestpurple]

Have not tried any DHT pre yet. Latest addition I made to setup is a 3KVA Online Ups from APC. Finally got my peace of mind. Also realising XLR to RCA conversion is introducing some hum. The speakers are dead silent when I connect via balanced XLR IN/OUT but not when I am using the conversion. Have used multiple cables till hum persists. So hunt for a pre comes with mandatory ask of balanced XLR inputs and outputs.

 

[lithiumnk]

Latest addition I made to setup is a 3KVA Online Ups from APC

I have Liebert GXT MT+ CX 1KVA online UPS. It is a must for us.

Also realising XLR to RCA conversion is introducing some hum

I am also using XLR to RCA converters with my DHT amp. I also have some hum. It was due to ground problem.There is a grounding terminal on the amp. I use ifi groundhog & directly connect to wall receptacle (not an extension cord). Now, there is no more hum, Pitch black background even with headphones.