quakana Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Hey all! I just bought a used Yamaha MX-800U amp and I have to say it's loud and clean! I have a pair of RF-7ii's and am now considering a tube pre. Is this a waste because I have a SS amp? If not what can/should I get for my price range? Thanks Guys! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 pre for what... vinyl? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 It's not a waste, but there is one particular thing to be aware of when using a tube pre on a SS amp. Most SS gear has a fairly low input impedance, while most tube gear line levels are higher impedance. This can create a mismatch that can cause the bass frequencies to roll off. The Yamaha you got has a 60k input Z, so most tube gear should work fine in that department. How complex a pre do you want? You might be able to find a Juicy Music Audio Merlin in that price range, but it only has 2 line inputs, no phono. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 http://www.tubes4hifi.com/home.html Scroll down and see the preamps. There's a bunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quakana Posted December 12, 2013 Author Share Posted December 12, 2013 It's not a waste, but there is one particular thing to be aware of when using a tube pre on a SS amp. Most SS gear has a fairly low input impedance, while most tube gear line levels are higher impedance. This can create a mismatch that can cause the bass frequencies to roll off. The Yamaha you got has a 60k input Z, so most tube gear should work fine in that department. How complex a pre do you want? You might be able to find a Juicy Music Audio Merlin in that price range, but it only has 2 line inputs, no phono. Bruce No need for phone and 2 inputs would be fine thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quakana Posted December 12, 2013 Author Share Posted December 12, 2013 http://www.tubes4hifi.com/home.html Scroll down and see the preamps. There's a bunch. Nice! have you all had feedback on the sound/quality of these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Haven't heard any of the preamps, but some look interesting for entry price points. Owned an ST-120 amp at one point. It was an early version and it sounded and performed well. Design had high gain at the time. Now, these are very nice amps with not only choices in gain on their driver board, they come with an adjustable attenuator which makes them all the more useful. Very good sounding for the money. There are better and worse as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 http://www.tubes4hifi.com/home.html Scroll down and see the preamps. There's a bunch. Nice! have you all had feedback on the sound/quality of these? I have the sp6 which is the bottom of the line, all so a drop in replacement for the Dynaco pas-3 cards. I can't tell you if it compares to my Scott, but it does sound pretty darn good with my MC2505 ss power amp. I say if you have the itch to solder like I do, give contact Roy. When I was out to just purchase my line stage he ended up having a power supply for sale that he all ready assy. and tested, at a great price. I ended up pairing it with the ph6 as I needed a phono stage. This circuit is like the new SP-10 he offers. If I was going to do it again, I would spend the 730.00 for the complete octal kit which includes a phono stage now. Not to bad for the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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