Can you name a preamp with the ..........

Joe,

I'm not sure where this preamp falls in the above suggested preamps, but I would like to suggest the preamp I own - a D. Sachs Model 2 (SP14). This is a 6SN7 tube pre based on the Tubes4Hifi SP-14 preamp. Don's version has taken the SP-14 to new highs.

I bought mine last August after visiting Don in his home. I had originally intended to listen, but not pull the trigger until some later time, but I just couldn't walk away without placing an order. I knew I'd regret not placing the order.

Don also makes his own KT88 amp - called the D. Sachs Kootenay 120 power amp. I just made my downpayment on this amp today. Don used this amp during the audition in August, so I know it is marvelous.

Once I'm allowed to post pictures or links, I'll post pics of my preamp.

Enjoy your search.

Michael
 
Thank you so much. Do you have any information from him or a website, pdf or something?

I'd like to learn more about it.



mresseguie said:
Joe,

I'm not sure where this preamp falls in the above suggested preamps, but I would like to suggest the preamp I own - a D. Sachs Model 2 (SP14). This is a 6SN7 tube pre based on the Tubes4Hifi SP-14 preamp. Don's version has taken the SP-14 to new highs.

I bought mine last August after visiting Don in his home. I had originally intended to listen, but not pull the trigger until some later time, but I just couldn't walk away without placing an order. I knew I'd regret not placing the order.

Don also makes his own KT88 amp - called the D. Sachs Kootenay 120 power amp. I just made my downpayment on this amp today. Don used this amp during the audition in August, so I know it is marvelous.

Once I'm allowed to post pictures or links, I'll post pics of my preamp.

Enjoy your search.

Michael
Click to expand...
 
ABSOLUTELY!

No doubt in my mind. Stage 2 upgrade would be even better but can be done later on.

GSOphile said:
Joe/Randy, do you think the STP-SE would be a good complement to a Pass X250.8?
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Hi Joe,

I have another one for you. The Cary SLP-05. This is one of the most impressive "you are there" preamps I've ever heard. You literally feel like you are at the recorded venue and dimensionality is startlingly real.

Ken
 
I've run my ST-SE in front of more amps than I probably ought to admit to and haven't found one it didn't work great with. It basically just gets out of the way and let's the music through the way the particular amp portrays it. Really hard to go wrong and and invaluable with amps that have abnormally low input sensitivities like Job and others that fall well below 1 volt. And as others have said if the urge hits you can have it upgraded.
 
I've always liked the SLP-05 but it seems a little finicky to me. A few friends owned them and their experience sort of turned me off to it.



Alpinist said:
Hi Joe,

I have another one for you. The Cary SLP-05. This is one of the most impressive "you are there" preamps I've ever heard. You literally feel like you are at the recorded venue and dimensionality is startlingly real.

Ken
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My apologies, Joe. Since I have not posted the requisite 10 times, I am unable to post links. I tried to get around it by posting something close. This is the result. Perhaps, once I have posted a couple more times, I can post the correct link.
 
joeinid said:
I've always liked the SLP-05 but it seems a little finicky to me. A few friends owned them and their experience sort of turned me off to it.
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There are only two components that I've owned that I've regretted selling, the Cary SLP-05 and Pass Labs XA-100.5. The SLP-05 requires careful amp matching but once you've gotten it right, you close your eyes and feel like you're in the concert hall where the performance occurred. I auditioned it with Cary monoblocks and tube CD Player and Magnepan speakers in a well set up room and it was one of my top five auditions since I've been in the hobby. IMHO, when set up optimally, the SLP-05 has certain dimensional characteristics that I have not heard any other preamp reproduce, regardless of price.

Best,
Ken
 
I have exceeded the ten post minimum, so I am allowed to post links:

Don Sachs Consulting:
http://www.dsachsconsulting.com/custom line stage.html

My preamp (in Taiwan):

attachment.php

The Scotch seems to have evaporated. :D
 

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Mike said:
For tubes: VAC Statement or REF10.

For SS: the one you already have. Ayre KX-R Twenty. Although my Vitus SL-102 Mk2 is right up there.

On a budget: used REF5SE. What do I say to myself when I remember letting that one go? DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!
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yes I did the same and let a ref5se go . however I have a modwright 36.5 dm [2 box version} and that is pretty near in terms of texture and build quality and soundstage
 
mresseguie said:
I have exceeded the ten post minimum, so I am allowed to post links:

Don Sachs Consulting:
http://www.dsachsconsulting.com/custom line stage.html

My preamp (in Taiwan):

attachment.php

The Scotch seems to have evaporated. :D
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Welcome to AudioShark forum, that looks like a very nice unique custom preamp! You should exercise caution keeping that alcohol so close to the tubes, and not just regarding evaporation!:afraid:
 
audio.bill said:
Welcome to AudioShark forum, that looks like a very nice unique custom preamp! You should exercise caution keeping that alcohol so close to the tubes, and not just regarding evaporation!:afraid:
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Thank you, Bill. The Dalmore is my 'go to' for 12-year old Scotch. The 19-year old Matisse was excellent for the first three bottles, but this fourth bottle was cruddy. I'll stay away in the future. My favorite whiskey is Kavalan Solist Cask Strength Sherry cask. They cannot call it Scotch, but if one closes one's eyes, one wouldn't know it isn't Scotch. I generally buy a bottle each time I arrive at CKS Int'l Airport.

This picture was for the benefit of a Taiwanese audiophile who loves Scotch, but tends to exist on a beer budget. The bottles were removed immediately after the photo was snapped.

To the best of Don's knowledge, I have the sole D Sachs Model 2 in Taiwan, and (come November) I will have the sole D Sachs Kootenay 120 amp there as well.

Good times.

Michael
 
Joe,

The beauty of this preamp is that each unit is special ordered to fit each buyer's wants and needs. I decided I wanted to populate mine with Jupiter Cu caps, but I could just as easily chosen Deuland, Mundorf, or whatever brand that is available. If your amp's input impedance is 100k ohm, you tell Don and he offers suggestions on which value caps are appropriate. You want silver connecting wire, or you want a sub out, no worries. Just tell Don.

I think my final cost was $3200, but that is because I sent it back to upgrade the caps from what I had originally chosen.

The soundstage from this preamp is huge. You're not going to get flowery audiophile reviewer language from me, but I'll try to give you my best impressions. Actually, I wrote about it in a thread on AC last year. When I get home, I will track it down to copy to this thread if that's allowed. I'm the author, so I have my permission. ;-)

Here it is:

"Hello. This is a preliminary presentation of my impression from my visit to Don's home in Nelson, BC on August 10th.

Now why is it preliminary and not a full blown review? Well, thanks for asking. It's not going to be full blown until I get my new preamp into my system with my own speakers. You understand, I'm sure.

Don invited me into his home so I could get a really good idea of what my new preamp will sound like. You see, I ordered one about 10 days ago, and I was eager to know what my money had gotten me. Mine is only a little different (better) from today's preamp.

His system is such:
Source: Laptop with JRiver
DAC: Schiit Gungnir
D Sachs Model 2 preamp
D Sachs KT88 amp
Joseph Audio RM25XL speakers

Everything in his system was new to me today. I had never heard these speakers before, and never heard the Schiit DAC, etc. Therefore, all I can tell you is how this system sounded. I cannot tell you what impact the amp and preamp had on the sound nor can I tell you how the speakers impacted my experience.

With that out of the way...

I got to hear some mighty nice live sounding - "you are there" kind of music today. The instruments, the singers, the audience (in live recordings), etc. were so real sounding that I nearly pinched myself to see if I was dreaming. The sound stage was huge - at least 8' tall and wider than the speakers which must have been about 7 or 8 feet apart. There was depth as well.

Don played songs that he loves and songs that I love. They all sounded fantastic. The clarity was incredible and even after 4 hours I felt no fatigue.

What did I notice? I didn't hear that syrupy warm sound that I expect to hear from lower grade tube gear. I felt as though I were standing at an open window 8 or 10 feet from the musicians. The bass was tight and not soft or sloppy. His amp/preamp will play down to 20Hz because he uses really good power supplies.
[Edit] Acoustic instruments were very defined and clear. There was never any feeling of sluggishness or of muffling of voices, guitar, piano, drums, etc.

Don explained to me his amp/preamp design so much and in such detail that a good third of the information passed right over my bald head. He really knows his shit.

I can't wait to get my new preamp into my system in Oregon, and then, into my system in Taiwan.

Okay. This was a bit scattered, but I think you get it. I'll follow up in a few weeks once I'm back home and can set up my system for a thorough listen.

Michael"

and...

"I spent 2+ hours listening to Don's system with my new preamp this afternoon. Even though the tubes were not optimal (according to Don), and my preamp had played for a scant few hours, it sounded absolutely wonderful to me. I can only dream about how it will sound once it is fully broken in. String plucks, violins, snare drums, brushes on cymbals, piano, voices....incredible clarity yet not the least bright or artificial sounding.

After listening to my preamp with his KT-88 amp, we switched out to my Nuprime IDA-8 100W Class D integrated amp. Source was the same (Don's PC) and he still used his Schiit Gungnir DAC. Holy shit. What a difference! The Nuprime is good for non-critical, background listening, or even for 2-channel TV sound. However, compared to Don's amp/preamp combination, the..."

and...this next one is from my buddy, Jay. Believe it or not, immediately after I picked up my pre from Don's home, my wife and I drove to Kelowna, BC to visit Jay and sightsee. Our first stop was at Jay's home to drop off my pre, so he could play it for a couple days while we frolicked in the area. Here are his impressions:

" Wow, hard to believe you guys are already getting ready to go back over Michael, you've hardly had any time to listen to your new piece.... time flys ! Thanks again for letting me play with the pre for a few days while you and Meolody were here. really enjoyed the viisit with both of you, good fun... I promise you'll get cooked corn next year
sm_lyellow.gif
Too bad we were kind of pressed for time, it would have been nice if you could have actually had more of chance to compare the 2 pieces, by the end of the eve when we put the Dodd back in, we were pretty much just chatting and had already switched speakers .... lets hope next time we get to do some amp swapping !

Here's a bit of a comparison of what I noted with regards to the D Sachs pre and the Gary Dodd variable gain pre ..... remember, I only took the sachs piece up to about the 50 hr mark and only had it for a few days .

The 2 pre's are tonally similar, not a whole lot of difference IMO. They both seem to be veryneutral, true to the recording. Both just get out of the way and let the music come through (transparentl). At first I thought the Sachs possibly passed on a bit more detail , strings seemed very pronounced. But after reinstalling the Dodd in the system, I would have to say I don't believe that's true, I feel the Dodd to be just as detailed but a touch smoother, some might find that to be less detailed, I don't know ?

I think the Dodd is a bit softer, some might describe it as a bit more analog sounding but again, they are very similar. I only reached about the 50 hr mark with the Sachs so it likely will get somewhat smoother and possibly make them een more similar sounding My initial impression that the Sachs had a bit more detail I think was brought on by the fact that it is still breaking in and may have been a bit edgy, I'm not knocking it here, I'm just stating I think it's going to get better with time and become more natural sounding.

There was a slight increase in the level of bass out of the Sachs pre, I had to slightly reduce the gain on the Rythmik amps (a single click on each) that drive my subs while it was in the system. The bass didn't play any lower in regards to frequency, just a bit more output in the lower couple octaves that are covered by my subs.

Something else I noted, and my buddy noticed it as well, the sound-stage seemed a little wider with the Dodd yet a bit deeper with more layering with the Sachs. No excessive difference here either, but it was noticeable.

As many know, the battery powered Dodd is dead quiet.... the Sachs was just as quiet, we heard no noise from it either (it was connected to a PI Audio Uber Buss with an Arkana grey series power cord)

These are both great pre's, either would make a great "heart" for most any system. They do have some subtle differences but they ust that, subtle. After hearing both, I don't feel any need to make a change but, at the same time, if I were looking for a new pre, I certainly would have the Sachs on my short list. And, I love the retro look of it, Michae's is gorgeous
smiley_thumb.gif


I don't really live that far from from Don Sachs, I'd like to one day make a trip over to Nelson and take my Dodd with me to let him have a listen, wouild be interesting to hear his thoughts as well. I'd also love the opportunity to hear his amps as I've heard good things about them
icon_wink.gif


jay"

And here's the link to the entire thread:

Don Sachs SP14 Tube Preamp Review
 
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