kevinmi Posted October 30, 2010 Share Posted October 30, 2010 I'm thinking of upgrading my preamp, and I'm looking for advice. What I'm looking for is a full function tube preamp with remote, or maybe a passive pre. I'm thinking along the lines of AR, Conrad/Johnson, Cary, etc. I need something with absolute low noise to please my tube amp/Khorn combo. This is for a dedicated 2 channel system. Please give me your opinions on what you have/recommend! Thanks in advance- kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted October 30, 2010 Share Posted October 30, 2010 We don't hear as much about Jud Barber's Joule Electra products as we used to, but they are very good and very quiet IMO. I have his LAP 150 full-feature pre, with the line and phono stages on one chassis and the power supply on the other: http://www.joule-electra.com/. Find the LAP-150-MII under Products (he doesn't have separate web pages for his products). The preamp looks like this: His is not a big manufacturing business; it's more like space in his house (I haven't seen it), so you should NOT expect Cary-like quality. He also has few dealers, so you should be sure to contact one or two like Great Northern Sound if you pursue it. He does get good comments from people -- see Harry Pearson's (HP's) comment on the J-E opening web page. His preamps are very low noise in part because his line stage gain is only a few db. It uses DC from permanent batteries for the tube filaments as I understand it. You should be aware that most electronic noise in most systems is preamp noise that is magnified into audibility by high amplifier gain. In my experience, you'll need both low amp gain and low preamp gain for low noise (some may not agree). BTW, FWIW, the quietest setups I've heard are integrated amps like the old HH Scotts. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wunsung Posted October 30, 2010 Share Posted October 30, 2010 Hi Kevin, The quietest tube preamp I know of is the Modwright SWL 9.0SE. Besides being quiet, it is a wonderful sounding pre, too boot. Good luck! Marty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornman Posted November 2, 2010 Share Posted November 2, 2010 The Bat 5i has remote & is dead quiet. Of course at $5K it should be as good as the reviews say, but a used one can be found for $15 hundred. I am happy with mine. Cornman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pocket.change Posted November 2, 2010 Share Posted November 2, 2010 I've heard some very positive things coming from owners of the Light Speed passive pre-amp. I'm sorry to say that I've yet to hear a demo, may be one day. Nice thing about them is the price... $450, not a misprint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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