preamplifiers Archives - Positive Feedback

Waters on the Hardware: The Mola Mola Makua Preamplifier

Dean Waters — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 23:28:10 +0000

"Dean Waters: Portrait with Cigar." PAF 2023, SeaTac, WA The Mola Mola Makua Preamp, front-top oblique view In June of this year, I had a wonderful opportunity to attend High End in Munich. With an attendance of well over 20,000, it is certainly one of the largest, if not the largest, trade shows for the... Read More »

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Bryston BP-19 Preamplifier

Malcolm J. Gomes — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 18:01:52 +0000

For almost two decades now, my reference preamplifier was the Bryston BP-26 powered by the Bryston MPS-2 DC regulated power supply. I was perfectly happy with the performance of this combination and the vast connectivity options that it offered. When Bryston introduced its new BP-19, I was impressed by its specifications, and I have to... Read More »

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SAE HP2-D Amplifier and MK One Preamplifier

Gary Lea — Thu, 02 May 2024 17:29:59 +0000

Fifty years ago SAE hit the market with its first amplifier, the venerable MK 1. A 60-watt per channel affair that stunned the audio world and received rave reviews by none other than J. Gordon Holt when he stated that under most conditions it was the best sounding solid-state gear he had ever heard. Big... Read More »

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Khozmo Acoustic Passive Preamplifier

Steve Lefkowicz — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 17:10:26 +0000

Over the many years that I've been involved in high quality home audio, there's been no part of system that has given me more concern, and kept me from making a decision for what my system needs, than the preamp or linestage. Seems silly, as in theory at least, a preamp or linestage should be... Read More »

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Zesto Audio Leto Ultra II Preamplifier

Robert H. Levi — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 01:55:45 +0000

The Zesto Audio Leto Ultra II Preamplifier Now celebrating its 13th anniversary of producing award-winning all-tube designs for audiophiles, California's Zesto Audio has introduced its most advanced preamplifier to date. The Leto Ultra II Preamplifier is the amazing George Counnas's assault on the state of the art in all tube topology, and the third incarnation of the... Read More »

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Von Gaylord Audio – A Great Integrated System

Gary Lea — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 19:43:51 +0000

Some 20 plus years ago, as a fledgling cub reporter for a local HiFi group, I was attending CES and the high-end show at the Alexis Park. That's when I had my first encounter with the Von Gaylord Legend speaker. I wandered into their room and waited for the next demo session. I took my... Read More »

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SAE Mk One Preamplifier World Premier Review: A New Solid-State Benchmark!

Robert H. Levi — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 00:03:09 +0000

With its strikingly intense blue-lit lettering and elegantly smooth finished black metal case, this uniquely featured and performing preamplifier is designed and assembled right here in Southern California. This is not your father's SAE, and it surprised this seasoned audiophile and reviewer from the moment I activated the on button. I placed this solid-state preamp... Read More »

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The LTA MICROZOTL Preamplifier

Sam Rosen — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 17:27:38 +0000

I think everyone who reads my reviews has figured out that "this guys loves him some tubes." I want to confirm that this is a factually accurate statement. I would however clarify it to say "this guys loves well designed tube based products." But what does well designed mean in this context? A tube based... Read More »

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The Pass Labs XP-12 Preamplifier - an Indispensable Instrument in My Reference System!

Juan C. Ayllon — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 20:00:37 +0000

I am amazed how my role as an audiophile and audio reviewer informs my volunteer work running the Behringer X32 mixing console at church—and vice versa. Although one focuses on live performances in a much larger and livelier space than my more acoustically intimate home Audio/Visual room, in both cases, I listen closely for issues... Read More »

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Cary Audio SLP-98P Tube Preamplifier

Gary Lea — Tue, 09 May 2023 17:51:53 +0000

Audiophiles that might be reading this are most likely very familiar with Cary Audio, originally the brain child of Dennis Had who is something of a legend in our industry. The venerable Cary 805 Mono Block Power amplifiers are legendary, and the audio equivalent of the Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari 512 Testa Rosa. Many of... Read More »

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The Mactone XX-440 Line Preamplifier and MH-120 Stereo Amplifier: Adventures in Max-tone!

Jeff Day — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 18:11:36 +0000

Founded in 1964, and for 59 years now, Mactone has continuously manufactured high-fidelity vacuum tube audio components, longer than any other company in Japan. Steve Mishoe (In Living Stereo) started importing Mactone audio components to North America in late 2018, after visiting the Matsumoto family—who owns and operates Mactone—in Japan. Steve recently contacted me and... Read More »

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Manley Labs Impressions: The Snapper Monoblock Amp and Shrimp Preamp - Tasty Stuff!

Editors at Positive Feedback — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 20:50:59 +0000

This article by Dr. David Robinson originally ran in Issue 5, February/March 2003, so while we call this section "New Old Stock - Articles from Our Days in Print" you are also going to see some articles from our early days of going online. After All These Years... You know, it's strange. In PF's "Ghost of... Read More »

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Wells Audio Commander Level II Preamplifier

Sam Rosen — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 17:50:54 +0000

A little while ago I reviewed the Wells Audio Cipher. I asked Jeff Wells, the owner of Wells Audio, to tell me more about the Cipher, and he more or less described it as his preamp circuit, with a single fixed input coming from the DAC. I was so impressed with the smooth analog nature... Read More »

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Simaudio Moon 740P Preamplifier and Moon 820S External Power Supply

Will Wright — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 19:44:37 +0000

The Simaudio Moon 740P preamplifier has been reviewed many times since its introduction circa 2012, most recently for Positive Feedback by Sam Rosen (HERE). I read many of these reviews, but not until after I had done my own evaluation. I am evaluating the 740P in conjunction with its companion piece the 820S External Power... Read More »

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Mola Mola Makua Line Stage

Sam Rosen — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 21:44:55 +0000

On Mola Mola's website if you click on the Makua, the first thing you will notice is "Analog Design for a Digital Age" in bold under a picture of the Makua. It was this statement that first interested me in the Makua, and caused me to reach out to Mola Mola's US distributor for a... Read More »

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Wells Audio Innamorata II Amplifier and Commander Line Stage Preamplifier

Tom Gibbs — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 19:14:00 +0000

Prologue I've had the Magneplanar LRS loudspeakers in my daily-listening system for over two years now; every time I swap them out for something else, they invariably seem to find their way back in. And that's despite being devilishly difficult loudspeakers to drive; their 2.8 ohm impedance (almost constant across the entire audio spectrum) presents... Read More »

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Rotel's RB 1582 MKII Amplifier and RC 1572 MKII Preamplifier

Gary Lea — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 19:01:42 +0000

I was first introduced to Rotel products back in the mid 70s when I bought my first Rotel turntable from the Stereo Buff in Springfield, MO. I was a poor college student, and they had very affordable prices. I ran that table through a Yamaha integrated amp along with a Aiwa cassette player and Genesis... Read More »

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Triangle Art M-100 Mono Amplifiers and L-200 Preamplifier

Gregory Petan — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 01:23:32 +0000

I first came across Triangle Art around 7 years ago while scrolling through a familiar webzine. It was fortuitous as I was getting back into vinyl after abandoning it decades ago, leaving behind my thoroughly thrashed Garrard that carried me valiantly through my childhood and teens. What caught my eye in that webzine's ad was... Read More »

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Musician Monoceros Preamplifier

John Hoffman — Sun, 27 Jun 2021 22:50:02 +0000

Thick aluminum casing, a dark anodized finish, microprocessor-controlled functions, and mysterious red lights on the faceplate could describe the latest generation of Cylon Centurion from the Battlestar Galactica science fiction series, or the newly released Monoceros preamplifier from Musician Audio. While Cylons are a Hollywood creation, this preamplifier (linestage) is the real deal, and is... Read More »

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Simaudio MOON 740P Preamplifier

Sam Rosen — Wed, 19 May 2021 02:07:55 +0000

I tend to be a believer in a less is more approach when it comes to my audio system; find a high end DAC like the Chord DAVE, and use it's outputs to drive the amplifier directly. In my experience putting anything between the DAC and the amplifier adds noise, colors the sound, and removes... Read More »

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Karan Acoustics KAS 600 Stereo Amplifier and KAL Reference MK3 Preamplifier

Gregory Petan — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 17:41:52 +0000

A System For All Seasons It seems like a lifetime ago I reviewed the Karan Acoustics KAS 450 stereo amplifier. My conclusion was "This is an amplifier I could live with for the long haul," and was planning on adding it to my system. If not for a train wreck of an experience with a... Read More »

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AGD Productions' Gran Vivace Amplifiers and Andante Preamplifier

Michael Zisserson — Sun, 07 Mar 2021 20:06:29 +0000

While I was evaluating AGD Productions' "The Audion" Amplifier (HERE), there was a rumor that AGD Productions was going to release a new flagship monoblock amplifier. This new amplifier would be based off a more powerful GaN Tube, a technology unique to AGD that utilizes state of the art Gallium Nitride transistors, and offer enough... Read More »

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KECES Sphono Preamplifier and Sphono Power

Mark Pearson — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 00:24:44 +0000

What if I told you there is a two box phono preamp with one box being the outboard power supply and the other box contains the dual mono balanced phono circuit, and that it has inputs for four separate cartridges (two moving magnet and two moving coil), complete loading adjustments for all four phono inputs... Read More »

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The Pass Labs XP-12 Line-Level Preamplifier: A Musical Masterpiece!

Jeff Day — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 16:35:30 +0000

I have been looking forward to telling you about the Pass Labs XP-12 line-level preamplifier, as I've found the XP-12 to make for an excellent match to the Pass Labs XA25 Class A stereo amplifier (reviewed HERE), as well the First Watt SIT-3 single-ended stereo amplifier (reviewed HERE), which are my current benchmarks for relatively... Read More »

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KECES S300 Power Amplifier and S3 Preamplifier

Michael Zisserson — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 17:43:02 +0000

"Holistic." "Quiet." "Transparent." Those words are my attempt to summarize the KECES S3 Preamplifier/S300 Combo: A delightful possibility for those who need a simple solution for a powerful, high fidelity system, with excellent headphone performance. As with the KECES E40 integrated amplifier (HERE), the minimalist nature of the Taiwan-born S3, and S300, fits into the... Read More »

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