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Valve preamps … where to start

M

MEMF1980

pfm Member
Hi all,

I have been curious about trying a valve preamp in my system and have no idea where to start. I don’t want to spend too much (sub £300) so looking second hand in case it’s not for me and I can sell on.

Currently I use a passive tisbury preamp and have no problems or complaints just wondered how valves would change the sound … got to scratch that itch!

my set up is quad 606 mk 2 and Kef R3’s fed by technics 1210 (and external phono preamp), topping dx3 pro and rotel rcd06/T11.

would a 2nd hand Croft micro be a good place to start. Any suggestions or tips very welcome.
 
Croft preamps are excellent, but you'll need to budget up to £400 or so. A new line level Croft is about £500 I think, and they hold their value reasonably well.
 
Thanks good suggestions. Happy to spend a bit more if they hold their resale value, just in case it’s not for me. And thanks for the schiit saga suggestion will do some more research.

any other brands worth investigating around £400 ish?
 
Keep your eye on ebay, but Glenn Croft really does seem to be one of the few people still making good tube gear at a lowish price. There are vintage options in your budget, Leak Variscopes and Quad 22s, but even sympathetically serviced they're pretty coloured by today's standards, and they're becoming hard to find in good cosmetic condition.
 
I had one or two in fact one was a Croft basic line amp utter shite the other one was a DIY phono amp and it drove me nuts with humming I ended up getting rid of my XTZ amp cause that appeared to have an impedance mismatch with the phono stage but it was the phono amp that caused the hum so ended up selling that on too.
 
You could try a Musical Fidelity X-pre. It may however need a re-cap and or new valves, however the combined cost of both purchase and service (if needed) should be in or close to your budget.
 
MEMF1980 said:
Thanks good suggestions. Happy to spend a bit more if they hold their resale value, just in case it’s not for me. And thanks for the schiit saga suggestion will do some more research.

any other brands worth investigating around £400 ish?
Click to expand...

the saga is very high quality , their stuff is in huge demand , sometimes you see wanted ads for freya pre . i do not know how they do it for the price

used mine with some hybrid valve and used a brimar valve

P1060390 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158267783@N02/, on Flickr
 
Trancendent Sound Grounded Grid.
Fairly close to neutral with just a bit of valve magic/colouration.
 
An older Croft Micro, with valve regulator - send it to Glenn for a service, bring the output stage up to date, but ask him to keep the valve regulation. I did that around 14 years ago, added a few light mods of my own and after trying many alternatives it was only replaced in my system last year….with a vintage Croft Mega Micro :)
 
Try and find a Velleman 8020, I wish I hadn't sold mine and very nearly bought it back when it appeared on eBay.

Very capable pre and sounded great into my Primaluna power amp.

Usually around £180-200.
 
You used to be able to find Audionote m-zero for £200-£300 and for me one of those worked very well into a Quad 520, I found it preferable to a Croft Basic in that context.
 
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