I have tried many active vintage preampliers (e.g. Marantz 7, Pliot 216a, Fisher 80C, 50C, 400Cx, WE120a etc). The Marantz 7 in my opinion is one of the best fit for Leak TL12.1 as the 12.1 has a relatively high gain, while the Marantz 7 has a strong Mid which help to compliment each other.
For the Western Electric 124b, many of the Taiwanese audiophiles have tried matching them with Marantz 7, Fisher, Pilot, Mcintosh amplifiers but they have came to a conclusion that the WE124b by itself (using no preamplifier) is the best in sound as these are wonderfully built amplifiers.
I have tried matching my Western Electric 124b with the Fisher 400CX, Fisher 50C, Pilot 216a and the WE120a. For the former 3, the sound is a bit too hifi, while the WE120a is too mallow.
As such, I am now trying to match it with a passive preamplifier where my aim is to have the ultimate in clarity. Since there is no current, no capacitors etc in the preamplifier, there will be very distortion and colouration...
Quite like the natural sound! Simple but great design with truely transparent and natural sound.
The equipment must serve the music, not the music the equipment as is often the case in audiophile circles
According to a review, there are some significant advantages using a passive volume control:
1. Cost savings. A very high quality passive volume control is cheaper than even low quality preamplifiers.
2. Improved sound quality. The non-linearities, noise and distortion from the preamplifier are avoided. Even the most expensive preamplifiers add coloration and distortion to the sound.
1 comment:
hi, just thought I would second your view of passive preamp as I am using the Promitheus TVC Signature. Maybe in the search for the most natural sound, we need to remember that less is more and passive is defintiely so
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