Preamps again

[dubai2000]

What happens if one has time on ones hands but no chance to go away on holiday? Answer: tube/amp rolling. You might remember that when I bought Chris Robinsons Wrights I also bought the AES AE-3 preamp and got a Wright WPL10V. Now that the Wrights are at the tech, curiosity got the better of me and I tried both preamps instead of the MX110 together with the 8B. I was doing this also as Ill give either the AES or the Wright to a member of my family. I remember when posting about my first impressions with the Wrights many of you suggested using them with the Wright preamp in favour of the AES. Let me recall my previous impressions: together with the AES the Wright monos produced a very smooth, seductive kind of sound (using brown base 5692s). With the Wright preamp (using 12AU7/5963) the sound seemed to be slightly faster/more crisp (perhaps more modern sounding). Now using those preamps with the 8B produced similar results. The AES seems to be the more quiet preamp (in that respect resembling the MX110 which seems to have slightly less bass extension), whereas the Wright seems to be slightly more nervous. I am tempted to call the Wright more hifi-sounding although this is too negative a statement (at least in my dictionary) because the Wright is a very good unit and certainly very unlike any ss preamp I am familiar with. What I am wondering is whether those differences might be due to the different tubes (12AU7 vs 6SN7) used. Do you think that with a different 12AU7 (I have tried RCA cleartops/ Philips made in GB (i.e. Mullards?)/5963 RCA black plates) the sound of the Wright will get closer to the AES? In a sense I find the AES appealing more to my heart (seeming to be very good at conveying the soul of music), whereas the Wright seems to be slightly more analytical (therefore falling more into the brain department). It will be interesting to read what others who have more preamp experiences suggest. So thanks in advance for any input.

Wolfram

[Chris Robinson]

Wolfram, interesting comments and it's nice to see your making something positive out of unfortunate experience.

I haven't heard the Wright pre-amp but I believe that it has tube rectification as well, doesn't it? When comparing the AE3 (SS rectification) and the Pantheon (tube rectification), I hear similarities and differences.

The similarities are that both do an excellent job of articulating the details of the music, both from a technical standpoint and a "soul" standpoint. The AE3 is dead quiet as well, perhaps a little quieter than the Pantheon.

The differences are that the Pantheon gets the dynamics of the music a little bit better to my ears, i.e., the high and low, soft and loud passages seem more naturally articulated (not in a "dry" sense).

So this may have a bit to do with the means of voltage rectification?

The two pre-amps are very different designs, so comparing them is probably suspect. And, of course, the quality of the parts in the signal path are very important too.

[mobile homeless]

Wolfram, did you say you used the 5692 in the Wright preamp? I put my very best RCA 5692 in the Wright Sound WLA-12a and actually thought the result was subpar. This surprised me as this tube worked magic in my Cary. The 60s Sylvania 6SN7WGT actually was a much more synergistic match with the Wright pre in my system, running into the Moondogs and Cornwalls. I recommend various tubes but I want to add that sometimes the same tubes dont always align with different gear, as you probably know. I want to make sure you tried some other tube variations in that Wright.

EDIT: Wolfram, I misread your post...I just noticed you DIDNT get the 6SN7 WLA-12. Nevermind - although this post holds for others with the WLA-12

EDIT #2: Lordy! I was reading the EICO trans post and this and got the replies all asunder! I personally think the 6SN7 tubed preamp is one of my favorites and might account for the differences you perceive. I think the WLA-12 WRight pre with the 6SN7 is a great pre for the money - I thought Chris' 6SN7 with the JAN 5UG rectifier one of THE MOST musically natural preamps I have EVER heard. I thought the circuit and product needed some fine tuning due to other niggling faults but at its best, was more musical per say than my Cary, although my Cary had a bit more slam factor and was an order of magnitude more quiet. Still, Audrey and I both preferred the 5UG rectified 6SN7 SRPP on a musical level.

I think a new, properly wired, quality power transformers at 220v would be an excellent idea for your EICO and, in my opinion, worht the cost if it's at least reasonable. Of course, I see the stock iron for these go on sale via ebay once every few months as well so that might be done as backup. Jeff and I never followed through on a purchase of a full cache of EICO iron, outputs and power trans, this for a paltry 30US. So deals are out there; but the 220V is an interesting idea, and one that makes sense in your application.

kh

[dubai2000]

Kelly, Chris,

thanks for your interest. No, the Wright uses 12AU7's, not 6SN7's which George has put unto later models (I believe). Even in the AE-3 the various 6SN7's sound different. I have tried Chris' Sylvanias, too, but I seem to prefer the 5962's. Perhaps even more to my taste are the VT-231 (JAN Sylvanias in my case), but I have only two and they are used in the Wright monos. I'll listen a bit more to this preamp and might eventually decide to keep this instead of the Wright. I suppose if one were to recap the Wright it might get become more 'organic'. In the manual it says that George used to offer this unit also with Hovland caps - but again my problem: I am no tech so which caps will I need exactly? Perhaps it's time to stop thinking about equipment and just enjoy a good tune or two (which I do anyway )

Wolfram