Stereophile has again posted a link to J. Gordon Holt’s comprehensive audio glossary containing over 300 terms used by audio reviewers (and audiophiles) to...
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Preamplifiers
Benchmark Media DAC1 PRE DAC, Preamplifier and Headphone Amplifier
Clarke Robinson has posted a review dating from 2009 of the Benchmark Media DAC1 PRE digital-to-audio converter, preamplifier and headphone amplifier ($1595) at Enjoy the Music. His conclusions: At $1595, the Benchmark DAC1 PRE is not an inexpensive unit (at least not by my standards), but that it does everything that it does as...
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Edwards Audio MC1 Plus Phono Preamplifier
Alfred Fredel has posted a review of the Edwards Audio By Talk Electronics MC1 Plus phono preamplifier and PSU1 power supply (together, $995) at Enjoy the Music. His conclusions:; If you are currently playing records or getting back in to the game, you owe it to yourself to give the MC1 Plus a listen....
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Parasound JC3 Phono Preamplifier
Anthony Nicosia has posted a review of the Parasound JC3 phono preamplifier ($2350) at Enjoy the Music. His conclusions: For the money, there is no question in my mind; what a truly great phono preamplifier this is. One could easily spend double its $2350 asking price in an effort to coaxe more out of...
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Audio Research LS27 Preamplifier
Dennis Davis has posted a review of the Audio Research LS27 preamplifier ($6995) at The Audio Beat. His conclusions: Compared to the LS26 ($5995), the LS27 is definitely a move up the spectrum, making that thousand-dollar increase in price, along with the improved power supply and more expensive parts, wholly justifiable. I expected the...
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Aesthetix Calypso Preamp and Atlas Power Amplifier
Jerry Seigel has posted a review of the Aesthetix Calypso Signature preamplifier ($7000) and Atlas stereo power amplifier ($8000) at 10 Audio. His conclusions: As good as the Calypso Signature is with instruments, providing outstanding orchestral performances, its special talent is with the human voice. The Aesthetix preamp has such high resolution that every...
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Classe Omega Mark III Preamplifier
Andrew Robinson has posted a review of the Class Omega Mark III preamplifier ($17,500) at HomeTheaterReview. His conclusions: At $17,500 the Omega Pre-Amplifier MKIII from Classe isn't going to be for everyone, hell, minus the review unit that was sent to me I'd never seen one in person before, which is kind of a...
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Parasound Halo JC 2 BP Preamplifier
Kal Rubinson has posted a review of the Parasound Halo JC 2 BP preamplifier with home-theater bypass ($4500) in his Music in the Round column at Stereophile. His conclusions: I could hear no difference at all between a direct connection from pre-pro to power amp and a connection via the JC 2 BP's bypass...
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Bryston BP-1.5 Phono Preamplifier
John E. Johnson, Jr. has posted a review of the Bryston BP-1.5 phono preamplifier ($2,750; requires MPS-2 Power Supply, $1,500) at Secret of Home Theater and High Fidelity. His conclusions: My overall impression of the Bryston BP-1.5 is that it is very neutral and very clean. There is no particular range of frequencies, such...
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Modwright LS-100 Preamplifier
Srajan Ebaen has posted a review of the Modwright LS-100 preamplifier ($3495) at 6moons. His conclusions: Bottom line, Dan Wright's strategic combination of 6SN7s (preamp) and Mosfets (power amp) offers a high degree of tube tone, a lesser degree of tube texturing aka warmth, then superior foundation detail and mass, greater dynamic range and...
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Vincent Audio PHO-8 Phonostage
Neil Gader has posted a review of the Vincent Audio PHO-8 phonostage ($400) at AVGuide. Here are some o his observations: The sonic personality of the PHO-8 leans gently to the romantic side of the spectrum. The PHO-8 offers a fine balance of warmth and resolution without conveying overly hard edges or pointed sonic...
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Audio Research 40th Anniversary Reference Preampa
Ken Kessler and Paul Miller have posted a review of the Audio Research 40th Anniversary Reference preamplifier ($24,995) at Hi-Fi News and Record Review. Their conclusions: Owning a Ref 5 won't prepare you for this: the Anniversary is quieter, offers wider dynamics, tighter bass and faster transients. It sounds like a '5 on steroids:...
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Micromega PA-20 Preamplifier and PW-400 Amplifier
Ken Kessler and Paul Miller have reviewed the Micromega PA-20 preamplifier and PW-400 power amplifier (together, £3288) at Hi-Fi News and Record Review. His conclusions: To everyone’s surprise, Micromega ‘Mk II’ is an altogether better proposition than its quirky forebear. This sublime combination shows how the firm has managed to blend Bauhaus elegance, up-to-the-minute...
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Icon Audio PS3 Phonostage
Steve Harris and Paul Miller have posted a review of the Icon Audio PS3 phonstage (£1699) at Hi-Fi News and Record Review. His conclusions: This robust-looking pairing is clearly aimed at the real valve enthusiast with its multiplicity of tubes. It offers low midrange distortion and respectable bass extension, catering for both moving-coil and...
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Lehmann Black Cube Decade Phono Preamplifier
Steve Harris and Paul Miller have posted a review of the Lehmann Black Cube Decade phono preamplifier (£1350) at Hi-Fi News and Record Review. Their conclusions: …we found the bass subjectively less heavy than it had been with either the £800 Acoustic Signature or £899 Aqvox phono stages also to hand. Let’s put it...
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The AVID Pulsare Phonostage
Jeff Dorgay has posted a review of the AVID Pulsare phonostage ($5000) at TONEAudio. His conclusions: Here’s the bottom line: If you want to pay for nothing but sonic performance, the AVID Pulsare is one of the best $10,000 phonostages money can buy. The good news is that it only costs $5,000. It does...
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Cary Audio SLP-05 Preamplifier
John Brazier has posted a review of the Cary SLP-05 preamplifier ($7500) at Positive Feedback Online. His conclusion: The SLP-05 has all the neutrality one could want in a preamp. It also has just a hint of tube life introduced in all the right places such as the human voice, strings, certain horns and...
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Melody Valve HiFi Pure Black 101 Preamplifier
Ron Nagel has posted a review of the Melody Valve HiFi Pure Black 101 preamplifier ($4499) at Enjoy the Music. His conclusions: The hardest part of a review is getting you in my ears: that is for you to relate to what I am hearing. Let us go back to The Well, Jennifer Warnes...
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Gryphon Mirage Preamplifier and Colosseum Amplifier
Jeff Fritz has posted a review of the Gryphon Mirage preamplifier ($25,750) and Colosseum stereo power amplifier ($43,500) at Ultra Audio. His conclusions: These two brands of electronics are, all things considered, the two best I’ve ever had in my system. If a reader writes in to ask which state-of-the-art electronics I’ve had in...
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Coincident Statement MM/MC Phono Preamplifier
Ron Nagel has posted a review of the Coincident Statement MM/MC phono preamplifier ($5499) at Enjoy the Music. His conclusions: The story of this device has been a test not only of the Coincident preamplifier but of this writer. The high-level preamplifier input sounds exactly like what you plug into it. It is the...
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Sutherland Engineering 20/20 Phono Preamplifier
Brian Damkroger has posted a review of the Sutherland Engineering 20/20 phono preamplifier ($2195) at Stereophile. His conclusions: Since setting the audio world on its ear with the PhD, Ron Sutherland has gone from strength to strength. For $3000, the Direct Line Stage matched the performance of models costing five times as much. The...
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