For sale is a Blue Circle BC-9 fully balanced tube preamp which has been extensively upgraded. One of only 3 or 4 BC-9s hand built by Gilbert Yeung himself, and the only one upgraded to this level. Fully balanced dual mono design, from the separate transformers (120v only) all the way to the dual shallco stepped attenuators (one volume knob per channel) and dual input selectors.
6 months ago I had Gilbert upgrade this BC-9 "to the max" at an additional $3650 cost. He added an independent Solid State section and power supply, which can be mixed in with the 6922 tube section via adjustment knobs on each side, just like the new BC307 preamp (See the Audio Beat review here:
http://www.theaudiobeat.com/equipment/blue_circle_bc307.htm). The tube section power supply was increased by 200%. Gilbert's acclaimed KQ filtering was added to both the Tube and Solid State stages. Half of a GZpz power supplies capacitance was added to the power supply chassis (the most that could fit). A RF volume control was added, which can be used in conjunction with the shallco stepped attenuators to change volume (even through walls). Finally, the "loop bypass" switches were converted from a tape loop to function as a HT bypass, to simply pass the signal from the selected input to the output.
The tube and solid state sections by themselves independently would each make an exceptional preamp, but is the ability to blend the 2 via the adjustment knobs that creates a truly unique listening experience in my opinion. You really do get the best of both worlds: the holographic soundstage, natural smoothness and warmth of the 6922 tubes, and the clarity and center focused detail of the solid state section. It is similar to a BC307 without the extra 6SN7 tube stage, but in a fully balanced design and with a beefier power supply.
In terms of sound, it is one of the best preamps I have owned even in its original form. Most significant is the sound stage, which I can best describe as holographic. Selling only because I have purchased an Exemplar WMTS XP-2 pre-amp. It took a $16k preamp to beat this BC-9. Up until then I had not heard anything else better.
The preamp is in good cosmetic condition, with only a few very minor scratches on the top side of the top covers.
Includes: Original box, upgraded stainless steel umbilical cord for tube stage, stock umbilical cord for tube stage, umbilical cord for SS stage, Russian Military 6922 tubes (less than 20 hours), 1 pair of RCA to XLR adapters, 1 pair of XLR to RCA adapters, volume control.
Asking
SOLD + actual shipping. MSRP (with upgrades): $10,900. Please add 3% if using Paypal (unless friends & family method).
