High End Pre Amp with Tone Controls

[jim1961]

I think it's doable for a few hundred dollars, too -- especially if you don't mind something that's a bit older, with all the question marks that come with it. So to that extent I agree with you and not with Peruvian. But, on the other hand, it did trouble me to hear such a quick dismissal of a $600 candidate that was highly acclaimed, and brand-new -- and I was troubled not on the basis of the absolute expenditure but rather on the basis of internal consistency.

You're running a very high-end power amp (as I said in a previous post, perhaps even a little "too" high-end for some of your source material), and a person's preamp is, in my opinion, the cornerstone of his entire system. I'd expect that, to a person who is already deep enough into all of this stuff to have a Classe power amp, that a kick-butt preamp by a company riding a killer wave of good word-of-mouth for sound quality and value right now, brand new, would be worth an extra thirty-six Lattes over budget. An opinion worth exactly what you paid for it, to be sure, but if I were you I'd try to hear a brand-new Arcam before I bought anything from the long-term used pile, regardless of maker.

Im sorry, I didnt mean my post to be dismissive, but frankly money is a big factor here for my financial situation has changed drastically for the worse since the days I was buying Classe power amps. And the Rega cd player was a gift, so I paid nothing for it. So believe me when I say that $450 is my all out top end.

[Feanor]

Im sorry, I didnt mean my post to be dismissive, but frankly money is a big factor here for my financial situation has changed drastically for the worse since the days I was buying Classe power amps. And the Rega cd player was a gift, so I paid nothing for it. So believe me when I say that $450 is my all out top end.

Sometime ago I saw an older Classe preamp for sale on Audiogo. Unfortunately I don't recall the model number. I had remote control and balance outputs which are nice. The seller was asking $450 which struck me as quite a bargin at the time.

[PeruvianSkies]

Im sorry, I didnt mean my post to be dismissive, but frankly money is a big factor here for my financial situation has changed drastically for the worse since the days I was buying Classe power amps. And the Rega cd player was a gift, so I paid nothing for it. So believe me when I say that $450 is my all out top end.

Well, I mean this is the best way...but if your financial situation has turned that far south than maybe a pre-amp is not the priority right now.