This was my very first piece of tubed equipment, and I'll be sorry to see it go: a QA-001 pre-amp from Space Tech Labs. I've decided to spend some time with an LDR attenuator instead. The LDR attenuator offers increased transparency, and I will have to see whether I miss any of the texture, drive and dimensionality that the tubed pre offers.
Here's the space tech blurb about the pre-amp:
http://www.space-tech-lab.com/SP-QA-001.htmlMine has a single input, but a pair of outputs. It runs on a pair of octal tubes, and accepts a pretty wide variety tube types. I've used it with 6SL7s (giving 20dB gain) and 6SN7s (giving significantly lower gain). Albert from Space Tech Labs said it will accept just about any octal tube with a 6**7 designation.
It's built in a solid oak chassis, blackened, with fancier feet and volume knob than the standard Space Tech Labs offerings. It will also come with a bunch of tubes for your tube-rolling experiments. None of them will qualify as NOS. I'll take an inventory of what I have and post it later. But there are a range of 6SN7 and 6SL7 varieties, offering plenty of experimenting opportunities. All of them should have a lot of life left in them.
This is truly the perfect pre-amp for somebody interested in experimenting with tubes in front of a solid-state or class-D amp, as long as you only have one source. I hope it finds a good home.
There are some pictures in this gallery:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=gallery;area=browse;album=2032Asking price is $325, plus shipping and any paypal fees, for a pre-amp that has been reported to trump many in the $1000-$3000 price range.
Chad
