Should you spend more money on an amp or preamp to get better sound?

Great info thx!

I put this here because it illustrates how profoundly an amplifier effects sound, all else being equal.
I have three amps. Each one has itā€™s own personality. I enjoy switching amps to match my mood.
My one preamp is a constant in the system.

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What size are the cabinets, drivers, are they ported and how far are you from the wall and corners ? It all matters including the power cord and speaker cables? You can move back speakers and towards corners. It is better to take away bass than add through equalization since power requirements go up geometrically.

There is no substitute for cabinet size when it comes to clean bass. Subwoofers help if karge enough. There is no clear answer if moving speakers donā€™t fix it.

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For me speakers are by far the most important element in the chain. Amp versus preamp? Modern Class D amps have such good characteristics that they can be considered neutral and clinical. If you then splurge on a preamp, possibly with tubes, to get the sonic character you want then you can be confident that the amp will reproduce it faithfully.

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With no upgrades or changes in many years this ā€œstay homeā€ thing put me on the path to start buying without auditioning. It started with the BHK 300s. A serious bit of cash outlay I had not climbed to before butā€¦ I decided it was time. I then replaced all my cables which was a bit more cash but I think Iā€™m probably set for another decade there. It was then time to match this new bit of kit with a pre-amp. I was heavily leaning to the BHK but it was at a price point which required more distance from the 300ā€™s and new cable purchase. Not being content to ā€œjust live withā€ my current pre-amp, I started looking for something that punched high on the review trail and I wouldnā€™t care about getting rid of it in less than a year when I finally pulled the trigger on something matching the price point of the 300sā€¦ I ended up with a Freya+ and rolled-in some tubes that make it sing in my system. Iā€™ve stopped reading reviews and Iā€™m done upgrading until the ā€œstay at homeā€ thing is over and I can go listen to gear again. Iā€™m really impressed with these upgrades. Iā€™m not rushing to replace the Freya+ like I thought I would be.

Anywayā€¦ there are components out there that punch way above their price point so its kind of thrown the old model out the window. Iā€™m sure there are plenty of significantly better pre-amps than the Freya+ but Iā€™m also not in anyway embarrassed to say Iā€™m pairing a $900 pre-amp to a $15,000 set of monos. Heck, just the cables connecting these things are multiple times the cost of the Freya+. Crazy! But it worksā€¦ and its given me timeā€¦ in factā€¦ itā€™s given me so much time I may upgrade my speakers before I replace the Freya+.

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I agree. These pieces of kit are what I call BBFTB purchases (Big bang for the buck), and I consciously try to work my upgrade plan by seeking out such products. Just two examples:

  1. I bought a dealer-demo pair of Anthony Gallo Acoustics Reference 3.1 speakers more than 15 years ago and they are still the center pieces of my 2.1/7.1 system. The Gallos were a value proposition at their MSRP and ā€œgiant killersā€ according to the fawning audio press and satisfied customers. By trading in some kit and getting a discount as well due to their demo status, my BBFTB for these speakers was/has been off the charts.

  2. I am currently focused on upgrading all things power related in my system. The PSA AC line of power cables is out of production. But with a little patience, the AC-12ā€™s and their ā€œsmallerā€ brethren can be had from reputable hobbyists and dealers at a fraction of their original MSRP as folks move on to ā€œbetterā€ and more expensive, recent designs. I would never have even considered spending what these cables used to cost for my system. Now they are relatively affordable.

I know this is not an original approach, I just wanted to underscore @ipeverywhere 's sentiments about seeking out components that ā€œpunch way above their price pointā€.

Cheers.

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Yes Iā€™m looking for punch above price point for sure. Iā€™m looking at Tannoy xt 8f, kef r7, monitor audio gold series or tekton DI for speakers. A solid state amp and a tube preamp(thanks Paul), maybe prima luna? and possibly a parasound jc3 jr phono. Still not sure on the exact combo, but hopefully Iā€™m heading in the right direction.

Itā€™s been my experience that if you want that ā€œtube soundā€, the amp is most effective. A tube amp with tube rectification. Prima Luna is a good place to look as is Decware.

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Of your short list, Tannoy XT 8Fā€¦ All day, every day.

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Whichever speaker you choose will help to determine your amp choice and you need to take the speaker manufacturerā€™s published sensitivity specs with a big grain of salt.

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I have a pair of Yamaha MSP5 active monitors which are nearly vintage and cost me about 560 Dutch Guilders (~EUR 250) when I bought them in 2002. Always found they produced good sound for the money, I know the ELAC Navid 51 bookshelfā€™s sound better, but as I had EUR 2000 + something to spend , which is what the ELACā€™s cost, I decided to invest my money in the Stellar Gain Cell DAC. That definitely improved the sound on the Yamaha speakers and expanded my possibilities.

Today you can buy the mega deal NAD C 658 with phono input and excellent Ethernet/WiFi/Bluetooth streamer on board + plethora of digital inputs (no USB) + hdmi or balanced analog input modules as options.

So, if you own reasonable speakers it is definitely worthwhile spending the money on amps, pre amps and sources. Because new speakers set your finances back badly.

You want high end also from your speakers? - Keep saving, but donā€™t forget to enjoy your music through your current system in the mean time.

Even the tiny JBL Bluetooth speakers deliver music and if you are broke and have nothing else its better than nothing. That is the biggest increment in SQ!

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Ya thatā€™s the one Iā€™m leaning towards.

If you like the Tannoyā€™s and are considering tubes, you might look at a Prima Luna integrated amp. Good bang for the buck. Or a SS such as a pre-owned Hegel H300 Integrated Amp for under 3K on Audiogon (I believe they also pair well with Tannoy). And of course thereā€™s always the Stellar Strata! Either can really compliment your system and give you something you can enjoy for many years. Speakers with a 91 dB efficiency are just so easy to drive. Just some wild thoughts from my lunatic mind!

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Looking at prima luna and Iā€™ve noticed the audio excellence guys seem to love the Hegels so Iā€™ll check them out too. If I get a prima luna preamp do they have a phono stage or do they make a separate phono stage?

No, they donā€™t. Since you asked, are you going moving magnet or moving coil cartridge? Do you already have a turntable or is that in the near future or longer range?

I have a cheapie Fluance rt83 with an ortofon red cart right now, but the final upgrade to my system will be a VPI scout. Not sure if the music I listen to deserves an mc but I donā€™t know much about the difference between them. I do listen to some jazz, but mostly the nu jazz coming out of england right now. Go go Penguin, Mammal hands etc. Also a lot of punk and metal & 90ā€™s grunge. Some electronic and white boy reggae, sublime/ Revolution/ dirty heads. So I probably need an all around cart or several carts.

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*Rebolution

Alright. Moving magnet (MM) cartridges are a great entry path for vinyl! And there are a lot of good solid performing TTs out there by VPI, Pro-Ject, Clearaudio, and Music Hall just to name a few. You will need something with a phono stage. Most audio components with a built-in phono stage are ideal for MM cartridges. Where the problem with MC cartridges comes in is that its output signal is so low that it needs a bigger boost then the MMs.

With that said, take a look at the PS Audio Sprout. For about $700, you get vinyl, analog, digital, headphones and 100 watts per channel amp! Keep up your research and enjoy your music.

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I have the sprout 100 now and luv it! I will keep even after I get another amp/ preamp. Iā€™m just wanting to move to the next level and see whatā€™s out there.

Dirty Heads - legit!!

Also digā€¦

  • Mantisyahu
  • SDIB
  • Pepper
  • Slightly Stoopid
  • Dispatch
  • Citizen Cope
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