TRL Dude preamp
- Thread starter veindoc
- Start date
Hi Nick,
A new member Mike aka topround, has a friend with one and was thinking about one for himself. It might be a little difficult to get a new one but there is a huge following. Mike will be on vacation next week but I'll see if I can get him to comment.
A new member Mike aka topround, has a friend with one and was thinking about one for himself. It might be a little difficult to get a new one but there is a huge following. Mike will be on vacation next week but I'll see if I can get him to comment.
A co-worker from another department was planning to host a shootout last Saturday between a TRL Dude and his Coincident preamp, with his friend from Minnesota. He uses TRL Samson amps in his system, will ask if he would like to share his experience.
veindoc
Member
- Thread Author
- #7
Sorry here we go again
I have seen silver, black, cobalt blue and now red. OPtions include true balanced xlr, single or double volume control & input selector(2 or 4 front panel knobs). Remote option reduces controls to 2 knobs. Tubes in both power and output stage. Spoke with Joe the owner briefly yesterday. Sounds like he is as busy as he wants to be. 2-3 months for production.
Nick
I have seen silver, black, cobalt blue and now red. OPtions include true balanced xlr, single or double volume control & input selector(2 or 4 front panel knobs). Remote option reduces controls to 2 knobs. Tubes in both power and output stage. Spoke with Joe the owner briefly yesterday. Sounds like he is as busy as he wants to be. 2-3 months for production.
Nick
No Myth,
Berto (A-Circle) has one and GearDaddy had one he sold ages ago (and regrets). Both are gushing about its qualities. This preamp seems to be the real deal.
Hi Joe :hi:
Spoke with my co-worker today about TRL Dude. He likes the Dude better than his Coincident pre with his Lampi DAC, but he prefers his pre over the Dude using a demo Aurilac DAC. Don't know what to make of that? Overall he told me the Dude is a better pre-amp than his, it is dead quiet, built like a tank (70 lbs.), he can't decide for sure what to do next. I tired a search on the Audiogon amp/preamp forum for "Dude" and found quite a few threads to read thru for more information.
This is topround posting from the Bahamas under another name.
I had the Dude in my system for a rave. It was an early version, it seems there have been several upgrades since the version I heard. I was floored.
Deep , huge soundstage, tremendous tone, very very musical. Clearly world class, in a class most of us have never experienced.
I am fortunate in that I get to hear many very high end pieces. This was clearly superior in many mnay ways to almost every pre I heard except maybe the Ypsilon. And depending on system you may prefer the Dude. A friend called me one day flipping out about a preamp he had heard in his system, he was flabbergasted, I asked what was it, he said some preamp called the dude. I knew exactly what he experienced because I experienced it firsthand myself in my own system.
I am sure there is a certain amount of synergy that is required here for it to work well, but it seems to work well in most systems.
As an example, it is certainly better than a ARC ref series pre, way better than my Sira, or Hovland, no contest at all.
Don't know how many have heard a preamp that did not use caps in the line, such as a transformer coupled pre. These designs just get out of the way of the music, very open and detailed yet delicate and musical, they have finesse. The Dude is a cap coupled design, but it has many attributes of a transformer coupled design.
You may be disappointed with build quality as it has wires strewn about in a sloppy fashion, but it sounds better than 95% of most pre's out there.
How he does it? Not sure.
I have a First Sound pre with massive power supply just like the Dude, the Dude crushes my First Sound in every way, Imean evvery.
It uses a ladder attenuator, I played with many pres like the CAT that uses a massive power supply and ladder attenuators, and it crushes the CAT.
Not quite sure what is so special about what he is doing, it has not much to do with parts quality or build quality because it sounds awesome regardless.
Parts quality has gone up as has build quality, but I heard one that had cheap parts and tubes and bad build quality and it was amazing, so go figure.
My experience left an indelible impression on my, one I never forgot. I will probably sell a few things to buy one. It will make your walls disappear and you sit in a deep stage of wonder.
There is so much hype in this hobby. This pre has no hype around it at all, in fact the builder, Paul, doiesn't really like bulding them as he has som many other projects in line.
I had the Dude in my system for a rave. It was an early version, it seems there have been several upgrades since the version I heard. I was floored.
Deep , huge soundstage, tremendous tone, very very musical. Clearly world class, in a class most of us have never experienced.
I am fortunate in that I get to hear many very high end pieces. This was clearly superior in many mnay ways to almost every pre I heard except maybe the Ypsilon. And depending on system you may prefer the Dude. A friend called me one day flipping out about a preamp he had heard in his system, he was flabbergasted, I asked what was it, he said some preamp called the dude. I knew exactly what he experienced because I experienced it firsthand myself in my own system.
I am sure there is a certain amount of synergy that is required here for it to work well, but it seems to work well in most systems.
As an example, it is certainly better than a ARC ref series pre, way better than my Sira, or Hovland, no contest at all.
Don't know how many have heard a preamp that did not use caps in the line, such as a transformer coupled pre. These designs just get out of the way of the music, very open and detailed yet delicate and musical, they have finesse. The Dude is a cap coupled design, but it has many attributes of a transformer coupled design.
You may be disappointed with build quality as it has wires strewn about in a sloppy fashion, but it sounds better than 95% of most pre's out there.
How he does it? Not sure.
I have a First Sound pre with massive power supply just like the Dude, the Dude crushes my First Sound in every way, Imean evvery.
It uses a ladder attenuator, I played with many pres like the CAT that uses a massive power supply and ladder attenuators, and it crushes the CAT.
Not quite sure what is so special about what he is doing, it has not much to do with parts quality or build quality because it sounds awesome regardless.
Parts quality has gone up as has build quality, but I heard one that had cheap parts and tubes and bad build quality and it was amazing, so go figure.
My experience left an indelible impression on my, one I never forgot. I will probably sell a few things to buy one. It will make your walls disappear and you sit in a deep stage of wonder.
There is so much hype in this hobby. This pre has no hype around it at all, in fact the builder, Paul, doiesn't really like bulding them as he has som many other projects in line.
veindoc
Member
- Thread Author
- #12
Thnx much Joe,brad and Mike. It interesting and somewhat odd that manufacters with deeper pockets can't replicate some of the Dudes attributes. Curious how the Dude compares to a Vac or. Even Coincident pre. Any idea how long a warranty Dude has. Paul the owner intimated he has clients who have over ten years without changing tubes and sound was lovely
Nick
Nick
Will try to speak with Roysen...who is on WBF. he has owned some of the world's greatest systems...and currently is setting up 3. One based on Q7 which just arrived (Dynaudio Arbiters, Wadia 9-series, 4-box digital), one based on Arrakis II and one based on Tidals upcoming replacement to the Sunray T-1 4-tower. I think Roysen owns/will own a full TRL setup as part of his full assembly.
I like that one!
Wisnon I tried to pm but I can't as a new memebr until I have 10 posts.
What makes the Dude special? It is a very large chassis and he seems to think it is required. Maybe it has to with the layout.
If you like classical music I thionk it is the one to look at, it can resolve so much with so many layers and presents a very dynamic stage floating with instruments.
Again large scale pieces like cantatas or requiems need alot of horsepower to be rendered correctly, the preamp needs to process all that info without compression or smearing and blurring, aint easy to do for almost all preamps. What is amazing is that it is cap coupled and still can do this, like a passive with gain and bloom and life. Somehow he pulls it off. It is a steal at 6K considering how much the other preamps cost. Of course dealer networks add alot(40 to 60 %) to the price, and he can do direct.
IMO definetly worth a listen. There are no absolutes in this hobby so I can imagine a system where anotherpre might be better.
Another great pre is the Ypsilon, but big money, very open and extended with great drive, it just sounds right...to me, plenty of horsepower...plenty, but handwound proprietry transformers!
What makes the Dude special? It is a very large chassis and he seems to think it is required. Maybe it has to with the layout.
If you like classical music I thionk it is the one to look at, it can resolve so much with so many layers and presents a very dynamic stage floating with instruments.
Again large scale pieces like cantatas or requiems need alot of horsepower to be rendered correctly, the preamp needs to process all that info without compression or smearing and blurring, aint easy to do for almost all preamps. What is amazing is that it is cap coupled and still can do this, like a passive with gain and bloom and life. Somehow he pulls it off. It is a steal at 6K considering how much the other preamps cost. Of course dealer networks add alot(40 to 60 %) to the price, and he can do direct.
IMO definetly worth a listen. There are no absolutes in this hobby so I can imagine a system where anotherpre might be better.
Another great pre is the Ypsilon, but big money, very open and extended with great drive, it just sounds right...to me, plenty of horsepower...plenty, but handwound proprietry transformers!
Hi Guys, I have spoken with someone who has the TRL GTPR Platinum Line Stage...apparently a super scaled-up version of the Dude. He loves it finding it organic and soulful, 'unparalled even among tube equipment' in his experience. I have suggested he check in here and hopefully participate. A veritable connoisseur's encyclopedia of high end audio...built through actually owning a lot of high end equipment.
veindoc
Member
- Thread Author
- #20
Dude is a bad-ass beast. Just got dimensions: 19.5w x 17.5d x 8.5h and weighs about 75 pounds. It probably is so quiet because the power supply and output stage reside in two different zip codes even though it is a single chassis. I am still contemplating one but OMG that is a big box. Would love to hear any additional Dude feedback. Heard the VAC sig mkiia this past weekend on Q5 with Gryphon Coluessus(an almost 3 ft high black beauty tower). Vac with his golden dragon tubes(not gold lion) had zero hiss. THe VAC was lovely but owner was hoping it would tame the Berylium tweeter of the Q5-it did not. I am still considering it but I hope to hear it on my own system. Lastly just ordered some new speaker cables from MG audio design. Looks like Nordost but a very different animal and sound. Think it has tremendous potential to other reference cables at a very nonreference price point. Will get my own pair in a week.
Nick
Nick