Best Vintage Tube Stereo Preamp

Paul rigby follows his guide to vintage turntables with a look at some of the old school amps that will bring out the best in your records.

Best vintage tube stereo preamp.

The challenge for ayre s charley hansen was formidable. Arguably the best sounding american 12au7 s ever made are the rca clear tops and tung sol s. A preamplifier or preamp is a part of the signal chain for using a loudspeaker to play audio. Let s assume it is the first preamp tube.

Manufactured between the years of 1974 and 1972 this stereo receiver provides 30 watts per channel. Having already designed a world class preamplifier the highly acclaimed 7100 k 1 see wes phillips review in march 1997 hansen set out to offer audiophiles 80 to 90 of the k 1 s sound and build quality at a price more of them can afford not that the new k 3 is a piece of budget gear. When it comes to sound quality the latest designs don t always improve on what came before. It adjusts the incoming signal from the source and prepares it to be boosted by a power amplifier.

Bau still looks back fondly on the tc 50 and in a recent conversation said just replace that big electrolytic with a similar value film cap and they ll play for another 20 years. The biggest mistake you can make about hi fi is believing that new is always best. 12au7 the 12au7 sounds like a 12ax7 but produces a lot less gain in the preamp circuit. From the highly respected uk outfit based in leicester this is one amp that most of the media has criminally ignored but is a great small footprint for the company at any rate valve driven device that includes a headphone socket at the front with a neat two position input selector and volume control.

Audio research sp 3 preamplifier. 12at7 the 12at7 is a clearer sounding tube than a 12ax7 but with a little less gain. Make offer mcintosh c22 vacuum tube stereo preamplifier phono stage vintage audiophile vintage dynaco st stereo 70 tube amplifier preamp frank van alstine built 1 375 00. Ten best buys in vintage audio.

A vintage marantz 2230 stereo receiver is a very high quality item that is also high on many people s lists as far as classic stereo receivers are concerned. There is a mute switch which if you remember to use it protects your amplifier from the preamp s turn on and turn off thumps. Vintage preamps and tube preamps.