I wish I had heard even half of those pre-amps
How is the Granite Audio? I've heard it once quickly and I was impressed by a full Granite Pre+Power but considering the number of pieces you have compaired it to, I'd be interested in how it compared to the others.
Hello Mr. Frederic
You are a very modest man and I am sure your experience is rich in colors and flavors as far as Hi-Fi is concern.
Painting the picture with an "Audiophile" brush isn't easy and I might not be the best source of this fine art.
Unless you appreciate and understand Pablo Picasso with "The Polish Twist". ( I seriously doubt it but bare with me )
To paint a better picture here are my personal preferences and reasons which drove me to insanity and quest to find the best preamplifier for my musical enjoyment and system synergy.
My music preferences are not restricted to but are mostly based on ingredients of:
*various genres of Jazz, Blues and Bluegrass which occupies about 50% of my collection.
*Hard Rock from mid-60s to early 80s , about 25%
*the rest collection is of mixed genres
Sound preferences
*transparent, dynamic, with touch of spices and finesse and of course mind tricking illusion of live performance sound.
System then
*Vandersteen Quatro with unbalanced high-pass filters
*Consonance Cyber 800 monos (78wpc , EL34 X8) modified by Bob Backert of RHB Sound Dezign
*Consonance Droplet CD 5.0 - CD player
*Consonance Ref.40 phono stage
*Music Hall MMF7 - modified (new Bamboo plinth/stand, Moarch UP4 tonearm and Denon 103R cartridge)
*Various cables from Vampire Wire, Morrow Audio, Kimber Kable and AR interconnects.
*Conditioning by PS, Monster Voltage Stabilizer , Quantum 800, Quite Lines, PS outlets
Room acoustics
*SkyLine diffuser X4
*Bass traps - Phase 4 X2
*Absorbing panels X4
*TacT 2.0 SS room correction preamp with 12 band EQ, DA/AD board options
Tweaks........yes, but I do not pay to much attention to its effect on the sound but use them as a passive EQ sort of speak.
*Hunting NY City filthy power which was always a big concern.
********************************
*Consonance Cyber 222 preamp with separate power supply
The worst of the bunch. Locking in most areas. Not worth writing about.
Array 1.1 Pre-amp
This preamp is utilizing dual 2A3 tubes as rectifiers and dual mono transformers for the left and right channel.
Build quality is superb.
Sound is on the warmer side with excellent soundstaging, image and scale. Very quiet, almost on par with Supratek but not quite.
Tube rolling is a must. Excellent preamp overall. However, in its price range there are many fish in the Sea.
Conrad Johnson fans may find this preamp as an less expensive alternative.
Granite Audio Model 770 Preamplifier
I have heard this preamp on more then one occasion in various setups before it end up in my system.
After spending 3 days with 770 and charming Don the owner of Granite Audio during 2008 CES I decided to take a bite and see what it can do for my system. One of the reasons was Don's philosophy, build and attention to details like isolating internal components and great care taken in eliminating interference and 60Hz noise that is associated with faulty grounding - bleeding back to sensitive components like preamps for instance. I was sold and ready.
In my system it performed quite nicely and above average phono section was a big plus of 770 pre.
Soundstage wasn't as wide and extended as with the Supratek or even Jas Array 1.1. Image and layering was good but far from the best I've heard. Lower frequencies rendition was solid, dynamic and one of its strongest attributes. aa
Surprisedly, it wasn't as quite as I have hoped it would be.
Actually, Jas and Supratek were superior in that department which came as a shock after what I have been told and preached by non other then the "Man" himself.
Phonostage was on the other hand very, very nice and it would have made a great stand alone offering for analog crowd in the mid-price category. Another bonus of this preamp is the easy and inexpensive tube rolling.
Sound wise it is more on the neutral side. Expensive (for what it does)
Supratek Chardonnay (I think that I mistakenly mentioned Sauvignon in my previous post - sorry) needs no introduction.
This is an awesome preamp that sounds transparent, dynamic with definite flavor which is to my taste.
Flexible gain setting which I found very useful as well as one of the most attractive (in the sexual way) preamps that I've owned.
Huge soundstage, plenty of air and detail. It will definitely reveal your system's weaknesses and shortcomings.
With the company of exotic NOS tubes it is an Audiophile's delight. Very highly recommended.......to anyone serious about audio.
Dodd Audio Battery powered preamp
Excellent overall. Batteries completely eliminated the grid problems and floor noise draped considerably.
Very responsive to tube rolling. Cheap to operate in the long run. Extremly transparent and ballanced from top to bottom. Beautiful wood accents and very nice feel and finish. Cool remote control.
Value wise - second to non. Well worth the asking price. No real complaints. In my opinion, it is the best of the bunch so far - "Giant Killer"
Red Wine Audio, Isabella with Isabellina DAC option
Everything the Dodd does and then some. As the linestage only, these two are very competitive. Isabella is definitely more on the warm side when compared to Dodd but it is my kind of flavor. Soundstage, image, depth is wider, deeper and more precisely placed within the listening room boundaries. Its warmish character would suggest the understandable lock of detail and air but it is not the case with Isabella. No, it isn't the preamp for the detail freak but for someone with a more refine taste.
Add the Isabella DAC option and you'll be in heaven. It is the most analog sounding DAC from my experiance without breaking the bank.
I am running my MacBook Air with iTunes to Isabella/Isabellina DAC and it rivals if not outperformes my reference CDP Consonance Droplet ........even if I use it as a transport and bypass its internal DAC. Simply a wonderful product. Well worth the money.
I just can not wait what Vinnie is going to come up with next.............phonostage perhaps. I hear that it is almost finished and hope to hear this baby by the end of this year in the finish form. I can't wait.
Take care
Mariusz
