Taylorshop Posted August 4, 2003 Share Posted August 4, 2003 Hi Guy & Gals, I would like to know your thoughts on using a seperate preamp with old Mac tube amps. I am using a set of MC-30s and they sound better without a seperate preamp. Would using a seperate preamp amplify/condition the signal twice. The pre I used is a Quicksilver fullfuntion tube preamp. Do you think using a different tube pre would improve anything. Speakers are '84 Khorns. Thanks, Calvin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radiohead Posted August 4, 2003 Share Posted August 4, 2003 Any good McIntosh preamp will make a difference. Try a C22, C20, or MX-110. You may also want to research the vintage Marantz route. I've heard good things about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted August 4, 2003 Share Posted August 4, 2003 Just my opinion...if you like the sound of the MC30s without any preamp (like I do with my MC2100), then maybe a passive preamp from Placette Audio (http://www.placetteaudio.com/index.htm) would work better for your needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylorshop Posted August 4, 2003 Author Share Posted August 4, 2003 Thanks Jim, A passive preamp is a great idea. Calvin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBryan Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 Here's a Placette on A'gon http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?ampstran&1065233772&2&3&4& Another nice passive is the Reference Line Preeminence http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?preatran&1064953862 or its cheaper brother...http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?preatran&1064210455 You should also look at passives from Creek as they offer good value/performance. One caveat - check the output impedance and voltages of your sources carefully as some components do not match well with passives. Have fun, Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 Well a volume control built into a power amp like the MC30 really isn't a preamp. When I had the MC240 here for a check up I thought it sounded much better with my Scott 130 then the CD directly into the amp. The sound field just seems to grow and become more detailed. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 I'm sure if I was able to purchase another tube preamp (instead of driving my CD player directly through my MC2100), the overall sound quality of my present system would improve as well. If it wasn't for my current financial woes, I'd love to have another tube preamp. But I have to admit the sound I have right now "preampless" isn't all that bad either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Landau Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 Hi Calvin, The Quicksilver is a very nice sounding preamp. I don't think that a passive preamp will match well with the Macs. Have you retubed it recently? that might be the case. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylorshop Posted August 5, 2003 Author Share Posted August 5, 2003 Hi Guy, Yes, I have tube rolled trying to get the best overall sound and quietness. I even called Quicksilver, and the person on the other end, told me that my Quicksilver pre was not a good match for Khorns; but I finally found the right tubes to reduce the noise a bit. Anyway, I had my wife sit center stage as I swapped the inputs from the preamp directly to the Macs and she agreed that the soundstage seem to be larger without the Quicksilver pre. (The amps were powered off during the swaps and restarted.) I agree, the Quicksilver is a quality product, but to my ears, it seem to be a bit lean. I'll try another A/B test to check myself. I really would like to keep it because it is tube and has a phono section. Calvin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylorshop Posted August 5, 2003 Author Share Posted August 5, 2003 Hi Craig, I know the volume on the power amps is not really a preamp, but I was just using the term from the service manual for the first 12AX7. Calvin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Landau Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 Calvin, Try replacing the 12au7 with a Telefunken 12au7 (if you haven't tried it already) it is a full sounding tube (sometimes too full). Does your preamp have the 5ar4 or the dual 6x4's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylorshop Posted August 6, 2003 Author Share Posted August 6, 2003 Guy, Yes, the Telefunken is the quietest and is what I currently have installed. My pre use the 6X4 tubes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Landau Posted August 7, 2003 Share Posted August 7, 2003 Calvin, I have just replaced a used 6x4 in my Airtight preamp with a new one and it became much quieter. May be that's the next thing to check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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