ss or pasive pre amp >$1000 digital or balanced input

ecramer · « **on:** 12 Mar 2006, 04:22 am »

usedand demo no problem please no tubes

ecramer · « **Reply #1 on:** 12 Mar 2006, 04:27 am »

shold have posted that i am looking for sugestions

kfr01 · « **Reply #2 on:** 12 Mar 2006, 04:34 am »

Need remote?

ecramer · « **Reply #3 on:** 12 Mar 2006, 04:45 am »

no need for a remote just an other thing to go wrong just looking for the best sound from cdp

tvyankee · « **Reply #4 on:** 12 Mar 2006, 01:49 pm »

hello

when you say digital input or bal input do you mean you looking for a pre that has a d/a converter built into it or do you want just a ss pre with bal inputs?

LordCloud · « **Reply #5 on:** 16 Mar 2006, 02:31 am »

I have a DIY Hi-Fi Supply Django. It is a balanced passive transformer based preamp with balanced in and out. Love the damn thing!

Gordy · « **Reply #6 on:** 16 Mar 2006, 06:16 am »

LC nailed it! The Django pre is about as transparent as they come. It uses the Stevens & Billington TX-102 autoformers, the same as found in the unobtainium Bent Noh preamps. The only real difference is the Django has no remote controls and it uses a single stereo vol. switch instead of two monos.

denjo · « **Reply #7 on:** 16 Mar 2006, 07:50 am »

John Chapman of Bent Audio also makes TVC passive preamps. I am using the Bent NOH with great effect. It also uses the S & B trannies. Visit www.bentaudio.com. I am told that John will be supplying a new preamp called the TAP. It comes with remote!

samplesj · « **Reply #8 on:** 16 Mar 2006, 03:48 pm »

Quote from: Gordy

It uses the Stevens & Billington TX-102 autoformers, the same as found in the unobtainium Bent Noh preamps.

Aren't the S&B TX-102s transformers with two seperate windings? I'm not totally sure, but it seems to imply that on http://www.stevens-billington.co.uk/page102.htm'>S&B's site

I can also vouch for how clean/transparent these things are. Both DiyHiFi or Bent are the same design, but John at Bent supplies a different wire to S&B so it is a bit different in the end. Bent's new product looks interesting, but of course it depends on your timetable since its not totally ready yet.

If you are willing to DIY totally without a kit then you might ask John if you can buy a couple of his txs. He may not be able to sell them still, but before they were the pretty much the same price as DiyHiFi and you don't have overseas shipping if you are in NA.

Another nice thing about a transformer like this is that you can end up with a pseudo balanced signal out the back end even if fed single ended RCA.

Gordy · « **Reply #9 on:** 16 Mar 2006, 04:01 pm »

Quote from: samplesj

Aren't the S&B TX-102s transformers with two seperate windings? I'm not totally sure, but it seems to imply that on http://www.stevens-billington.co.uk/page102.htm'>S&B's site

...

Yes, two seperate windings per transformer, but you still need one transformer per channel... the Vol. switch or switches are simply used to apply the various preset amounts of those windings to adjust volume. The switches used aren't pots or attenuaters, merely switches. Maybe somebody more knowledgable could explain it more clearly

samplesj · « **Reply #10 on:** 16 Mar 2006, 05:34 pm »

Quote from: Gordy

Yes, two seperate windings per transformer, but you still need one transformer per channel... the Vol. switch or switches are simply used to apply the various preset amounts of those windings to adjust volume. The switches used aren't pots or attenuaters, merely switches. Maybe somebody more knowledgable could explain it more clearly

Sorry I didn't clarify what I meant, yes you do still need two for a two channel system. I was just pointing out that it looks like they are transformers as opposed to autoformers since they do have a seperate primary vs secondary winding.

I've seen some people claim there is a sonic difference and that transformers sound better than auto-transformers (autoformers) which is why I pointed it out.

Like you said the switches used don't do any attenuation at all, its just a way to pick which tap you want to use. I still remember how much fun wiring the things up was. John has a few tips to make wiring the switches not as bad, but its still a lot of twisting and soldering.

nickspicks · « **Reply #11 on:** 17 Mar 2006, 09:35 pm »

how about a Grace 902 ?

ecramer · « **Reply #12 on:** 18 Mar 2006, 02:02 am »

That actually looks like a great litlle unit as i shopping for a head phone amp also.

nickspicks · « **Reply #13 on:** 18 Mar 2006, 12:02 pm »

I haven't heard one, but I have heard the 901, and IMO..it sounded niceer than the Benchmark DAC-1 we were testing it against.

the 902 is even more "preamp like" than its predecessor.