In Reply to: Your favorite preamp to play stereo, mono AND 78s posted by Elia Beyle on April 9, 2010 at 13:08:56:
Elia Beyle,
As you're asking for a preamplifier that does everything except surround, I'd proffer my usual main system preamp, a 1987 Audio Research SP10 MKII. Yes folks, the SP10 is 17 tubes of raw versatility: 4 line inputs- thankfully none of them marked "Video", two phono inputs, and 5 modes of stereo and mono. The brilliant control is a front panel knob labeled IMPEDANCE. I connect the Oracle Delpi III_SME V_AQ 200 (high output MC) to PHONO 1 and to PHONO 2 is a Dual 1019_Grado (78, mono) and with the impedeance control can instantly switch the cartridge loading with the turntables. Thus, by front panel controls I can play LP's, 78's, CD's, and the Tuner, in any of five modes of stereo and mono by simple switching. By the way, I sometimes listen to the MR67 tube tuner in mono- it's so incredibly wonderful- dynamic, open, quiet- that mono FM sound makes me question the engineering compromises of MPX decoders!
And, the best feature of all this versatility is that the sound of the SP10 is one that I've very rarely heard improved upon- transparent, dynamic, detailed, superb imaging, energetic, natural timbre, fantastic discretion between sounds, and so on. Proper tubes are more difficult now, but that's the price of high performance machines of any kind- you won't get full use of your Ferrari 599 with tyres from the $59 Pep Boys specials either.
Cheers,
Bambi B
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Follow Ups
- Audio Research SP10 ! - Bambi B 04/10/1009:53:38 04/10/10 (0)