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Thread: Preamp for Dag

  1. #1
    Junior Member
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    Apr 2021
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    Israel
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    Preamp for Dag

    Hi everyone.
    I’m looking to upgrade my MBL 5011 preamp connected to my D’agostino progression power amp.
    My system includes:
    Raidho d1.1 speakers on stands
    D’agostino Progression power amp
    MBL 5011 preamp
    Simaudio Moon evolution 680 streamer dac
    Trumusic speaker cables and xlr
    No special power cords or conditioners.
    my living room size is about 35 sqm.
    my budget is 15,000-25,000 US dollars.
    I’m looking for a lively open clear sound with great resolution and tight bass.
    I’ve heard Vitus mp-l201 which was very deep and 3D but not enough highs for me.
    Also heard Luxman 900c (not enough gain) and Constellation which was too lean.
    I don’t have the luxury to audition most gear, because I live in Israel, and number of hi end dealers here is limited, as well as the gear they have on demo.
    I would like to add that the Dag amp has a very low sensitivity, and my Raidho speakers are very very hard to drive!
    Thank you all,
    David.

  2. #2

    Re: Preamp for Dag

    One of the D’ag preamps would work wonderfully and perhaps provide the best synergy ... however I really like tubes on the front end of a d’ag amp ... ARC Ref6SE comes to mind along with the Ref10. BAT Rex3 preamp should be really good also. My 2c

    George
    Wilson Audio Alexx|Pair of Rel No25’s
    VAC Statement Preamplifier
    VAC Statement 452 Monoblocks
    Sonorus ATR10 MkII
    Esoteric D-02X|Esoteric P-02X|Aurender W20SE
    MIT Oracle MA-X SHD SC and IC
    Transparent Reference Power

  3. #3
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    Re: Preamp for Dag

    Welcome to the forum David.
    You have a great system , but i think you would also gain a lot looking at power cords.
    Flemming

    Lumin X1
    Rotel Michi S5
    Focus Audio FS788

    Inter connect : Nordost Tyr 2 ( 2 Meter )
    LS cable : Yter
    Power Cables : Nordost Frey 2 ( 2 Meter )
    Nordost QB8
    Fibercable for feeding the Lumin X1
    Rack : Finite Elemente Pagode

  4. #4
    Junior Member
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    Israel
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    Re: Preamp for Dag

    Thank you all for your knowledgeable comments.
    I really should look at power chords.
    In addition, I don’t like to round my sound or make it “tube” like.
    I’m looking for something detailed and fast.

  5. #5
    Senior Member
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    May 2013
    Location
    Poland
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    1,760

    Re: Preamp for Dag

    Do you have a chance to try the Soulution 7-series in Israel ?
    Adam

    Speakers: Magico M3
    Amp: Dagostino Momentum Stereo
    Digital: Lampi Horizon + Lampi DSD Komputer

  6. #6
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    Re: Preamp for Dag

    Unfortunately I don’t have an opportunity to try the soulution.
    There is a dealer, but he doesn’t have it on display or for demo

  7. #7
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    Re: Preamp for Dag

    Have only heard it on youtube so of course not very serious . but what about Boulder or Pass Laps.
    Flemming

    Lumin X1
    Rotel Michi S5
    Focus Audio FS788

    Inter connect : Nordost Tyr 2 ( 2 Meter )
    LS cable : Yter
    Power Cables : Nordost Frey 2 ( 2 Meter )
    Nordost QB8
    Fibercable for feeding the Lumin X1
    Rack : Finite Elemente Pagode

  8. #8
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2021
    Location
    Israel
    Posts
    6

    Re: Preamp for Dag

    Hi
    I’ve auditioned Pass integrated before having the Dag. Though it sounded clear, it was a little anemic for my taste.
    Haven’t heard Boulder. Can’t demo it in Israel.

  9. #9
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    Re: Preamp for Dag

    Get a First Sound Presence Deluxe MkIII-Si with Paramount Special Edition upgrades. Has dual external mono power supplies and a copper-clad enclosure for the central control unit. Dual mono throughout. You could cut the central control unit into two separate units and each would be fully functional independently of the other. Shunyata wire throughout and CCI NR filters on the incoming AC receptacles. Individual hand-trimmed Holco metal film resistors for the gain controls. All the wiring for the connections and input jacks use air dielectric.

    First Sound Audio Amplifiers and Pre-amplifiers

    Here's mine....





    All the blue and brown wire is proprietary Shunyata Research wire.


    All input jacks are grounded by massive copper bus bars.




    Copper-plated steel chassis that functions as a Faraday cage.




    The First Sound Presence Deluxe with Paramount SE upgrades have dual, external power supplies. The dual DC umbilicals are...you guessed it, Shunyata wire.


    Inside one of the dual external, mono, power supplies. 145,200 uF of power supply capacitance each. Red arrows point to Shunyata Reseach CCI NR filters.


    The two dual, mono external power supplies on provide a total 290,400 μFarads of power supply capacitance.

    I'm tellin' ya, you have never heard a preamp like this one...

    If you want to go even further, you can get the Presence Deluxe with Paramount Super Special Edition upgrades.

    A number of reviews at places like Positive Feedback, Six Moons and Enjoy the Music, etc. IIRC, all the reviewers bought their own FS as their reference.

  10. #10

    Re: Preamp for Dag

    That's a very nice piece of gear. By just looking it's got at least 3 things that I look for. It's tube driven, simple design with short signal paths and very heathy power supplies. I especially like that the attenuators are very close to the outputs. Congrats.

  11. #11
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    Re: Preamp for Dag

    Quote Originally Posted by stereogeek View Post
    That's a very nice piece of gear. By just looking it's got at least 3 things that I look for. It's tube driven, simple design with short signal paths and very heathy power supplies. I especially like that the attenuators are very close to the outputs. Congrats.
    Yeah, Emmanuel Go takes a "no-compromises" approach to his audio designs.

  12. #12
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    Re: Preamp for Dag

    Quote Originally Posted by Puma Cat View Post
    Get a First Sound Presence Deluxe MkIII-Si with Paramount Special Edition upgrades.

    A number of reviews at places like Positive Feedback, Six Moons and Enjoy the Music, etc. IIRC, all the reviewers bought their own FS as their reference.
    Looks like an amazing pre-amp for sure!!! To me a pre is one of the most over looked components in the over all systems. I consider them extremely important.

    I have always been curious how much better, how much I could actually hear comparing something like the First Sound against something like my Hattor with the optional Tube Active Stage. I have never heard a better sounding pre-amp than this 3-box Hattor setup, but believe the First Sound may very well be one of the best out there. I also believe that Emmanuel and Arek use very similar criteria's in their designs. I am sure the First Sound is a different level... just curious as to how much .
    McIntosh C49, MC152, MR85, R778 | T+A DAC 8 DSD | KEF LS50 Meta w/S2, KC62 (x2) | Rega RP8, Ania Pro, NEO PSU | Technics SL-1500C | Audio Technica VM750ML | Hexmat Eclipse, Yellow Bird, Molekula, Molekula Mini | Pro-Ject VC-E | Falcon NW PC Server (Roon Core & HQPlayer) | Microsoft Surface Pro 6 (Roon Controller) | Abyss Diana Phi | Schiit Jotunheim 2 | Astell&Kern SE200 | Oppo BDP105

    “One of the great challenges in life is knowing enough to think you're right but not enough to know you're wrong”
    "You can't use reason to convince anyone out of an argument that they didn't use reason to get into"
    ― Neil deGrasse Tyson

  13. #13
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    Re: Preamp for Dag

    Quote Originally Posted by Puma Cat View Post
    Get a First Sound Presence Deluxe MkIII-Si with Paramount Special Edition upgrades. Has dual external mono power supplies and a copper-clad enclosure for the central control unit. Dual mono throughout. You could cut the central control unit into two separate units and each would be fully functional independently of the other. Shunyata wire throughout and CCI NR filters on the incoming AC receptacles. Individual hand-trimmed Holco metal film resistors for the gain controls. All the wiring for the connections and input jacks use air dielectric.

    First Sound Audio Amplifiers and Pre-amplifiers

    Here's mine....





    All the blue and brown wire is proprietary Shunyata Research wire.


    All input jacks are grounded by massive copper bus bars.




    Copper-plated steel chassis that functions as a Faraday cage.




    The First Sound Presence Deluxe with Paramount SE upgrades have dual, external power supplies. The dual DC umbilicals are...you guessed it, Shunyata wire.


    Inside one of the dual external, mono, power supplies. 145,200 uF of power supply capacitance each. Red arrows point to Shunyata Reseach CCI NR filters.


    The two dual, mono external power supplies on provide a total 290,400 μFarads of power supply capacitance.

    I'm tellin' ya, you have never heard a preamp like this one...

    If you want to go even further, you can get the Presence Deluxe with Paramount Super Special Edition upgrades.

    A number of reviews at places like Positive Feedback, Six Moons and Enjoy the Music, etc. IIRC, all the reviewers bought their own FS as their reference.
    Really extensive preamp , love it ....!


    Regards

  14. #14

    Re: Preamp for Dag

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Myers View Post
    Looks like an amazing pre-amp for sure!!! To me a pre is one of the most over looked components in the over all systems. I consider them extremely important.

    I have always been curious how much better, how much I could actually hear comparing something like the First Sound against something like my Hattor with the optional Tube Active Stage. I have never heard a better sounding pre-amp than this 3-box Hattor setup, but believe the First Sound may very well be one of the best out there. I also believe that Emmanuel and Arek use very similar criteria's in their designs. I am sure the First Sound is a different level... just curious as to how much .
    You need to know...

  15. #15
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    Re: Preamp for Dag

    Quote Originally Posted by bzr View Post
    You need to know...
    Yea, probably . The Hattor is amazing and I am 100% sure the First Sound is better. I have my doubts if I could actually hear the difference when considering the rest of my system. My system/room are probably not refined enough to actually be able to appreciate the subtle improvements .
    McIntosh C49, MC152, MR85, R778 | T+A DAC 8 DSD | KEF LS50 Meta w/S2, KC62 (x2) | Rega RP8, Ania Pro, NEO PSU | Technics SL-1500C | Audio Technica VM750ML | Hexmat Eclipse, Yellow Bird, Molekula, Molekula Mini | Pro-Ject VC-E | Falcon NW PC Server (Roon Core & HQPlayer) | Microsoft Surface Pro 6 (Roon Controller) | Abyss Diana Phi | Schiit Jotunheim 2 | Astell&Kern SE200 | Oppo BDP105

    “One of the great challenges in life is knowing enough to think you're right but not enough to know you're wrong”
    "You can't use reason to convince anyone out of an argument that they didn't use reason to get into"
    ― Neil deGrasse Tyson

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Preamp for Dag

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