The Truth Pre Amp
- Thread starter joeinid
- Start date
Hi All,
I came across this thread and no one yet has been able to offer an opinion on this preamp, so I’ll put something forth.
I have been reading Audio Shark for a while now and this is my first post. IMO, this is the friendliest, most positive and respectful audio forum on the net. And not by a little. A lot.
Anyhow, I just purchased “The TRUTH” a couple of months ago, used.
I started in this hobby about eight years ago and I’m not a gear flipper, so my ability to provide comparative assessment is a bit limited. The total cost of my system, both new and used is under $10K.
To start, I will say that my experience of inserting The Truth into my system is similar to the rave reviews you will read in various forums across the net. Overall, its not like the other gear swaps I have done in the past. This was a bit different different.
First, the degree of change was on the order of a new set of speakers. But what was most significant was the impact on the sonic character. And for the good.
The Truth provided a significant jump in the amount of detail. I hear things in very familiar recordings I never heard before. The sound has more of a texture to it. Much more realism.
The bass has significantly more weight than before. But its not too much bass. For me, it closed the gap on a previous shortcoming I had with my system. Now, my bass response is awesome. And the bass is refined and clear. Not muddy.
The macro and micro dynamics were significantly improved.
The soundstage pushed out much more on each side of the speaker. Tracks that lived more in between the speakers now go beyond the speakers. This was a general change in almost all recordings.The locality of the soundstage improved significantly.The speakers essentially “disappeared” more.
Of note on the above comments, I did Jim Smith’s Room Play Reference session a couple of years ago and I have my speakers dialed in fairly well in my room. My systems ability to image was pretty good before, but the addition of The Truth just made it all the better.
Putting The Truth into my system was my first jaw dropping experience in this audio hobby. I have tried three other preamps in my system. Some where better than others. But the differences in those preamps were relatively subtle compared to The Truth. The Truth is in a whole other league.
In short, for the asking price, its crazy good. (IMO). In short, I love this thing.
I am guessing that this is what a $10,000 plus preamp sounds like.
For those who have really high end gear, I think maybe not really something to be considered, but if your not the type to drop $10,000+ on a preamp, it is something to consider for sure, as long as you have done your homework to ensure it fits into your system, i.e. it has no gain.
Hope this helps.
Dave
I came across this thread and no one yet has been able to offer an opinion on this preamp, so I’ll put something forth.
I have been reading Audio Shark for a while now and this is my first post. IMO, this is the friendliest, most positive and respectful audio forum on the net. And not by a little. A lot.
Anyhow, I just purchased “The TRUTH” a couple of months ago, used.
I started in this hobby about eight years ago and I’m not a gear flipper, so my ability to provide comparative assessment is a bit limited. The total cost of my system, both new and used is under $10K.
To start, I will say that my experience of inserting The Truth into my system is similar to the rave reviews you will read in various forums across the net. Overall, its not like the other gear swaps I have done in the past. This was a bit different different.
First, the degree of change was on the order of a new set of speakers. But what was most significant was the impact on the sonic character. And for the good.
The Truth provided a significant jump in the amount of detail. I hear things in very familiar recordings I never heard before. The sound has more of a texture to it. Much more realism.
The bass has significantly more weight than before. But its not too much bass. For me, it closed the gap on a previous shortcoming I had with my system. Now, my bass response is awesome. And the bass is refined and clear. Not muddy.
The macro and micro dynamics were significantly improved.
The soundstage pushed out much more on each side of the speaker. Tracks that lived more in between the speakers now go beyond the speakers. This was a general change in almost all recordings.The locality of the soundstage improved significantly.The speakers essentially “disappeared” more.
Of note on the above comments, I did Jim Smith’s Room Play Reference session a couple of years ago and I have my speakers dialed in fairly well in my room. My systems ability to image was pretty good before, but the addition of The Truth just made it all the better.
Putting The Truth into my system was my first jaw dropping experience in this audio hobby. I have tried three other preamps in my system. Some where better than others. But the differences in those preamps were relatively subtle compared to The Truth. The Truth is in a whole other league.
In short, for the asking price, its crazy good. (IMO). In short, I love this thing.
I am guessing that this is what a $10,000 plus preamp sounds like.
For those who have really high end gear, I think maybe not really something to be considered, but if your not the type to drop $10,000+ on a preamp, it is something to consider for sure, as long as you have done your homework to ensure it fits into your system, i.e. it has no gain.
Hope this helps.
Dave
Hi Dave, welcome. Excellent write up on the Pre. It speaks the Truth to you!
I had a Truth pre for a few years, around 2011-2014 timeframe. Keep in mind it's not a passive pre. It's a photocell resistor coupled to an active buffer. The guy claims a massive input impedance and tiny tiny output impedance, so your impedance matching should be stellar. It was a really fine preamp for me back when I had Tekton Lores, the Job 225 amp, and the dB Audio Tranquility SE DAC. The Dodd tube preamp had a bit more soul, but not nearly as transparent. I probably would have resold the Dodd quickly and kept the Truth - except...the seller brought his TRL Dude preamp with him when he delivered the Dodd. Well, the Dude never left my house. It was in a whole other league - NOT EVEN CLOSE.
Sorry, but the Truth isn't a $10k preamp world-beater. But it IS damn fine for the money. Touchy volume knob, though.
Sorry, but the Truth isn't a $10k preamp world-beater. But it IS damn fine for the money. Touchy volume knob, though.