steve Posted December 24, 2006 Share Posted December 24, 2006 Last October, I purchased an "almost new" Wright Sound AG1000 preamp..the seller stated one corner on the faceplate got dinged in shipping (he bought it new) , and since he was a perfectionist, he was selling it. With shipping and all, I would save about $300.00, so I bit. After all, it only had a couple of hours on it. I anxiously awaited it's arrival, hearing about George Wright's reputation for making fine equpment. It arrived, in what appeared to be excellent condition, except for the aforementioned faceplate corner. I didn't think it was that bad..not a big deal, as long as it sounded good. Well, I hooked it up, and turned it on..let it warm up a bit. It played music alright, but sounded a little "harsh" for lack of a better word. Also, I noticed if I turned the volume all the way down, I could still hear the sound bleeding thru, in all 3 channels. Well, not wanting to believe there was a problem, I thought maybe the tubes needed to break in..so I left it on for a solid week. When I went to listen to it again, nothing had changed..still harsh, and grainy. So I thought maybe there was a problem with my other equipment, so I took it to the garage, and A/B'd it with some Adcom stuff. Same thing..the Adcom pre walked all over it. I got the better half out there to listen, and she said it sounded "noisy'. I was broken hearted. I wondered what I had done. So I emailed George Wright, and told him my dilemma. I fully expected him to blow me off, since I didn't buy it directly from him. Instead, I got a most pleasant (and fast!) response, and he said it should NEVER sound "harsh"..and he agreed to look at it. I boxed it up and sent it off to him. After a few weeks, he found the time to look at it (I wasn't concerned about the time, as (A) he was doing me a big favor looking at it and ( he DOES have a business to run, and amps to build.) He always kept me informed what he was doing via email. Anyway, he found a ground problem, and a selector switch problem. He said it was fixed, and he had tested it, and it very linear and dynamic. Again I awaited it's arrival with bated breath. He even shipped it without waiting for my shipping payment. The work on it was free of charge..he granted me warranty work! And I wasn't the original owner. Anyway, it arrived three days ago. I hooked it up..warmed it up a little..and....whoooooooaaa!! What kind of fairy dust did the man sprinkle on this thing?! It sounded so musical..I was up and down, switching CDs like crazy..couldn't find a bad one in the bunch! I was hearing things I hadn't heard before, but get this..usually preamps are either "detailed" or have lots of "fullness" (meaning the music is strong, the bass is full etc.) but not both. Well..this one does both! It just flat amazes me! It sounds like you are "there". I even took the tapestry off the back wall, as other pres have been a tad too bright. This one is perfect. And though I wanted a preamp with tone controls, I find I leave these at 12:00..but I don't switch them out. I like the sound with them active. Anyway, this is by far the best preamp I've had in my system, and that includes a $5,000.00 McIntosh, the Adcom GFP565, a Scott 130, and others. I feel I've found my last preamp..not to say I won't roll some tubes down the road, but to my ears right now it sounds PERFECT! And my wife was in the music room with me for hours, and she agrees! Now I just need a phono preamp, as the AG1000 doesn't have one. I highly recommend this piece of equipment to anyone looking for a tube preamplifier with tone controls. I must also sing the praises of George Wright. He's a man who not only builds a great product, he stands behind it 100 percent! Someone with integrity! Gotta get back in the music room now! I'm wasting tubes! Regards Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted December 24, 2006 Author Share Posted December 24, 2006 here's a pic.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedball Posted December 25, 2006 Share Posted December 25, 2006 I always like reading about someones experience with a piece of new tube gear.........fascinating. Oh, and goodluck with everything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted December 25, 2006 Share Posted December 25, 2006 Steve, Glad to hear you received such stellar service from George! He is indeed a real nice guy we have traded emails a few times over the years. I have a couple questions for my own personal benefit. Would you happen to know what the input sensitivity your amplifiers are? (as in voltage to full power usually 1V to 2V range) Also what kind of travel are you getting out of the volume control with the with preamp and your amp combo? Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted December 25, 2006 Author Share Posted December 25, 2006 Hi Craig glad to answer! My Assemblage amps have the following ratings. Input sensitivity .55V for rated power Input impedance 100 Kohms gain 23db. The preamp has a switchable gain in the back for 14db or 24db I use the low setting, which makes the volume control so much more useable! (one of my biggest gripes in the past with sensitive Klipsch speakers!) I usually play my music anywhere from the 11 o'clock position to the 1 o'clock position now! Before with the Adcom I was limited to the 9 o'clocl position, 10 tops! This is so much better! Yes, George was a very up front guy with his product, much like you are with your amps, and service. Hope this info helps. Happy Holidays to you and yours, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshnich Posted December 25, 2006 Share Posted December 25, 2006 I have a Wright phono stage that I bought from one of the very few dealers that sell Georges product. I have traded emails with him a number of times and like you, found him to be a real stand up guy. Yes. Much like Mr Otsby! Merry Christmas you guys and go to bed!!! Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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