Thinking about upgrading my preamp...

Charles

Based on the reviews and the owners on the PS forum the Gain Cell is a quality piece of gear but I haven't heard it only the BHK which I own. I have owned the STP-SE for five years and I know that it is hard to beat without spending a good bit more plus it's input and output flexibility is very good. Also it's gain structure makes it an easy match for almost any amp on the market. As Joe said the $2000 upgrade to the Stage 2 does make a big difference but it can be done at a latter date.
 
joeinid said:
I really enjoyed the STP-SE when I had mine. Recently purchased a used Stage 2 STP-SE. It's stellar. WAAAAY better than the regular version. I absolutely love it.
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Jack said:
Charles

Based on the reviews and the owners on the PS forum the Gain Cell is a quality piece of gear but I haven't heard it only the BHK which I own. I have owned the STP-SE for five years and I know that it is hard to beat without spending a good bit more plus it's input and output flexibility is very good. Also it's gain structure makes it an easy match for almost any amp on the market. As Joe said the $2000 upgrade to the Stage 2 does make a big difference but it can be done at a latter date.
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Man, that is a lot of $$$ for the Stage 2 upgrade, but if it's worth it...

On that note, one of my brothers has a barely used Emotive PT-100 preamp that I could borrow for a bit. That way I can go ahead and sell the Parasound Halo P5 along with the Oppo 105D that I'm also putting up for sale this weekend. At the rate both of these units are selling for currently, I can get close to $2k for them alone. Add to that my tax return, I should be able to stretch up to around $3k or so for a preamp.

So there's that. $3k could get me into a whole other tier of preamps.
 
chops said:
No worries sir.

I was actually looking at this unit a couple days ago. There's no mention of a silver version for it, which is something I would want. Not that I wouldn't buy black anyway, but if I can get silver, even better.
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Highly unlikely that there would be a silver version offered, since none of the standard NAD line (non-Master series) are offered in any optional finishes.
 
Charles

If you put in saved searches on hifishark.com you may be able to find a used STP-SE and Gain Cell for not much more than $2k for both of them and then you can try them both and sell one of them with little or no loss.

Also another solid option since you are using a pair of their amps is the Nuprime DAC-10. I have been using one in my FR system for over two years with a variety of amps including the ST-10 and have no desire to change it out.
 
audio.bill said:
Highly unlikely that there would be a silver version offered, since none of the standard NAD line (non-Master series) are offered in any optional finishes.
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Jack said:
Basic Black has been the NAD standard for decades.
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Very true. Good point.



Jack said:
Charles

If you put in saved searches on hifishark.com you may be able to find a used STP-SE and Gain Cell for not much more than $2k for both of them and then you can try them both and sell one of them with little or no loss.

Also another solid option since you are using a pair of their amps is the Nuprime DAC-10. I have been using one in my FR system for over two years with a variety of amps including the ST-10 and have no desire to change it out.
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For whatever reason, I keep forgetting about the NuPrime preamps. Don't know why since like you said, I have two of their amps sitting in front of my face every day. LOL I wonder how it compares to the other preamps mentioned here.

Another preamp that I've been interested in but thought it was out of my price range is the Hegel P20. From the little bit that I've read, it's supposed to be pretty decent as well.
 
chops said:
Funny no one says anything about the two I mentioned, especially the PS Audio. The Stellar Gain Cell DAC preamp is supposed to be quite the heavy hitter.

Another preamp I was looking at was the Schiit Freya. Yes it uses tubes, but at one point, Schiit produced solid state tube replacements for the 6SN7's. Those SS replacements were said to actually sound pretty good, but they are now hard to get a hold of, and as far as I know, no one else makes SS replacements. And the only reason I would want those SS replacements again is because I leave my system running 24/7.

Thinking about it more however, I supposed I'm highly limiting myself by completely ruling out tube preamps. If I found a tube preamp that didn't have any kind of turn-on/off thump, I could still leave the amps on. It's a bit of a pain to the amps on and off considering the power switch is on the back panels, and they're on the bottom shelf.
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If you are considering a budget tube preamp, give a look to AVA HiFi. Frank Van Alstine makes nice sounding gear. And he has a 30 day return policy. He can customize his preamps as well to some extent. I own some of his older gear and have done reviews for him. His SS preamp sounds very good.

https://avahifi.com/collections/preamplifiers
 
Don't know about turn-on or off thump as I have never used one of Frank's tube based preamp but with an input sensitivity of 1.4 volts for the STA-9 you should be good with a tube preamp into the mid-teens with gain. I think Frank told me his were 12 db. Only problem is they are strictly SE only.

As to the sound of the STP-SE vs the DAC-10 they are both pretty much neutral which would be a good match for your amps which are on the warmer side of neutral as are your speakers.
 
For the past two years, I have had a Audio by Van Alstine T10RB tube preamp. With the optional remote control, and phono section, it is a little over $1,300. It is a lot of preamp for the money.
As of last week, it has been replaced by a Benchmark LA4 line amplifier. I did purchase a AVA phono preamp, since the LA4 doesn’t have this option.
 
Jack said:
Don't know about turn-on or off thump as I have never used one of Frank's tube based preamp but with an input sensitivity of 1.4 volts for the STA-9 you should be good with a tube preamp into the mid-teens with gain. I think Frank told me his were 12 db. Only problem is they are strictly SE only.

As to the sound of the STP-SE vs the DAC-10 they are both pretty much neutral which would be a good match for your amps which are on the warmer side of neutral as are your speakers.
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Good points made.

I think you're right that either one of those preamps would be a good match. The P5 is said to be a little "chalky" or cold, which is probably why I went with these amps and speakers. But with my other choices, it all evens out.

I imagine going with either of those preamps, I'd probably get just a little more warmth on the top end due to them not being "hot" up top.
 
Charles

If you get the DAC-10 from AA then you have 30 days to verify that it does what you want. The DAC in it is a step up from where you are now also.

You might also want to check in on AC as there are plenty of users there.
 
Trust me, I would absolutely LOVE to have a Pass XP-12. But unless Mike can get me a really great deal on one or I find one second hand, it ain't gonna happen.

Nice thing is though, Mike's store isn't but about 60 miles west of me, so there's that.
 
Charles maybe Mike will be gracious and let you demo a few preamps at home? This is the only way you will know if it I the right piece for you and your tastes.

chops said:
Trust me, I would absolutely LOVE to have a Pass XP-12. But unless Mike can get me a really great deal on one or I find one second hand, it ain't gonna happen.

Nice thing is though, Mike's store isn't but about 60 miles west of me, so there's that.
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