I'm reconfiguring my system and thinning out the collection of gear. For sale is a fantastic W4S STP-SE preamp in probably a 9/10 condition, but will say definitely 8/10 to be conservative. Functional condition is 100%. Unit is stealth (black on black) and includes all original packaging and accessories.
This may be about the least expensive, FULLY featured (passive input, buffered output) preamp around. To top it off, its performance is very near state of the art. No lie. If it were dressed up in a nicer looking chassis, it'd sell for double or triple what Wyred sells them for. If you believe a preamp should sonically get out if the way (about as much as possible) and just provide volume control and source switching, without electrical complication (ie impedance mismatches, too much gain, etc), it's hard to go wrong here.
I honestly find the 6 Moons review to be spot on. It got a Blue Moon award for being "A full featured reference preamp with a passive's transparency, active dynamics and tube colors for a highly competitive price made in America."
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/wyred2/preamp_3.htmlStandard STP-SE Features:Input / Output wiring using Kimber Tcss wire
2nd stage filtering caps (4-22,000uf caps) are Wyred 4 Sound Low ESR "SUPER CAPs" designed for power supplies
Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD)
Optical rotary encoder (volume knob)
Fully functional remote control
12V DC Trigger input (to automatically activate HT Bypass mode)
Two - 12V DC Trigger outputs
Home Theater bypass (customizable for any input, also DC Trigger input selected)
Balance control
Absolute phase control (0°/180°)
Efficient (no heat)
Tripple-ripple reduction circuit contains 164,560uF of capacitance
Extremely low noise floor
Fully balanced input to output
Buffered passive/active design
Automatically switched in Line Stage (when more volume is needed)
Discrete volume control using dale RN55d resistors
Unbalanced to Balanced conversion (when RCA input selected and XLR outputs are being used)
Idle power consumption = 15w
Rugged construction
½” Machined and Anodized front panels
60kΩ input impedance
3 sets of gold plated unbalanced (RCA) inputs
2 sets of gold plated unbalanced (RCA) outputs
2 sets of Neutrik Balanced (XLR) inputs
2 sets of Neutrik Balanced (XLR) outputs
Factory Selectable mains 115/230VAC
Compact size (17”W x 4”H x 13”D)
22 lbs.
Will ship from 57006 to buyers in US and Canada
Asking $1200 OBO
Bonus : It has a Synergistic Research fuse installed ($60). Believe it or not, it made a subtle but noticeable improvement overall. I think what I was hearing was a lower noise floor, which was already very low. Not sure if this is the whole reason, but the highs definitely became cleaner/clearer/more defined. The effect of the increased clarity in the highs (and/or lower noise floor) also carried into the mids. Note, I listen to my system nearly all day M-F while I work, so I can confidently say that it is pretty easy for me to hear small changes. I think the STP's simple circuit also allowed for the fuse change to be easily audible.
Feel free to PM me with questions or offers. While my personal goal is to sell this, I really want the next owner to be happy with their decision.
You can also see my feedback and contact me through Audiogon name : Ryanpdavidson
