Preamp advice wanted

[willie garvin]

Hi all,

As a newbie to this site & a non techie at that I would like to ask some advice please.

Having just bought a Harman Kardon PA2400 power amp I would like some advice as to what preamp you might recommend.

Up until now I have been using my old faithful Nad 3140 amp in my system, Marantz CD67 ose se, which has been heavily modded by a friend who is a wizz with electronics & some Ruark Templar II speakers.

The modded Marantz sounds fantastic to me, although I have just purchased a Roksan Kandy KC-1 on the advice of a friend!!!!

Anyway I am using the Nad 3149 as the preamp, it sounds ok in fact, but have I mismatched the Nad with the HK?

Advice is welcome, please.

willie

[Mr Peabody]

If it sounds alright then you're fine. No law broken. You have the option of bi-amping using the NAD amp section. If not interested in that it just seems like a waste of an integrated amp just to use it for a preamp. Maybe keep your eye open for a bargain. As I stated on a similar thread I don't know of any magic combo with HK. Probably some of the best values going are the Adcom preamps. They are decent and you can find the typical models for $200.00 or less used. The gfp-750 still stays above $700.00 but interesting there's always one for sale. Any of the British pre's would be nice, Arcam, Roksan, Creek etc.

How's that Roksan compare to the Modrantz?

[willie garvin]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, have looked at the Adcom & it sounds great.

Re the Nad3140 as a preamp, as a newbie & non techie I was concerned about mismatch of kit, I naively thought that the HK PA2400 was the superior item to the Nad re parts used to build them!!

The sound I am getting is great, but as a hifi junkie you always seem to want more, when what you have is possibly ok.

Re the Roksan Kandy KC-1 & the 'modded' Marantz, I have only had the Roksan a couple of days, so I am just getting used to it, will need a bit more time to give an honest answer!

I might add though that the Marantz has a fantastic sound, in my opinion & will take some beating!

Thank you for replying & the advice given, very much appreciated.

willie

[Mr Peabody]

I wasn't sure on the 3140 so I looked it up and it brought up an integrated amp, maybe there's a prefix that distinguishes the two. If the 3140 is a preamp then you probably have a pretty good match. Without hearing the NAD it's hard to say if the Adcom would be any upgrade, it might emphasize the bottom end a bit more. Depending on the model NAD and Adcom are generally on the same level in my opinion.

If looking for a step up you'd have to spend more money and go upstream in brands. Some of the British pre's I mentioned could provide more clarity and speed. If remote isn't an issue you can sometimes find some good buys on tube preamps like Conrad Johnson for around $400.00 or $500.00. But unless there is something particular you want to improve on and a certain budget the possibilities are wide open.