Preamp Possibilities

[jdandy]

Charles.......One night Marlene and I were watching a mystery movie. There was a scene where someone was walking down a dimly lite street talking to his girlfriend when a gunshot came out of nowhere at a moment you did not expect it. The gun shot blast was so dynamic and real sounding that Marlene jumped and screamed at the same time. Her reaction made me laugh, but she was truly startled because it sounded so real. Trust me, the C2300 handles movies sound tracks in stride.

[prepress]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Charles.......One night Marlene and I were watching a mystery movie. There was a scene where someone was walking down a dimly lite street talking to his girlfriend when a gunshot came out of nowhere at a moment you did not expect it. The gun shot blast was so dynamic and real sounding that Marlene jumped and screamed at the same time. Her reaction made me laugh, but she was truly startled because it sounded so real. Trust me, the C2300 handles movies sound tracks in stride.

There are more factors involved in any preamp change than sound, of course (money, system configuration issues, et al), but it's going to come to the point where I'll need to audition the contenders, and (I hope) compare them, even though I'm certain I'd be pleased with any of the contenders bought unheard. And at this point the C2300 definitely will be one of the auditions.

[prepress]

Reality has intruded on things in a big way, as it has a habit of doing. What started out as an equipment rack search and a hypothetical preamp search all but turned into an actual preamp search, and now will, perhaps, change again.

A friend of long acquaintance found herself in a deep financial quandry, and reached out to me for help (quite possibly she had nowhere else to go, based upon my knowledge of her general circumstances). I helped her with a loan of $3,000 last weekend. I know I won't get this back all at once or quickly, and there are repercussions to my audio (and perhaps other) plans.

Being $3K lighter in the wallet, my first thought was to get a C48 and be done, as it's the least expensive alternative and would give me what I want; $6000 for a C2300 makes less sense now, even if I audition and prefer it. But I could go forward with those auditions and if the C2300 really floats my boat, wait until my circumstances are more favorable and go for it (that could take a while). Or, all things considered, spending this kind of money doesn't make a lot of sense now, so I could go back to my original premise of replacing/upgrading my TV console. While this seems most sensible, there's no guarantee I'll follow through.

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by prepress

Reality has intruded on things in a big way, as it has a habit of doing. What started out as an equipment rack search and a hypothetical preamp search all but turned into an actual preamp search, and now will, perhaps, change again.

A friend of long acquaintance found herself in a deep financial quandry, and reached out to me for help (quite possibly she had nowhere else to go, based upon my knowledge of her general circumstances). I helped her with a loan of $3,000 last weekend. I know I won't get this back all at once or quickly, and there are repercussions to my audio (and perhaps other) plans.

Being $3K lighter in the wallet, my first thought was to get a C48 and be done, as it's the least expensive alternative and would give me what I want; $6000 for a C2300 makes less sense now, even if I audition and prefer it. But I could go forward with those auditions and if the C2300 really floats my boat, wait until my circumstances are more favorable and go for it (that could take a while). Or, all things considered, spending this kind of money doesn't make a lot of sense now, so I could go back to my original premise of replacing/upgrading my TV console. While this seems most sensible, there's no guarantee I'll follow through.

She is fortunate that you had not already committed to a new piece of gear. Take your time. Continue to audition gear and when the funds are available you will be ready. Upgrades in this hobby should only be made when the discretionary income is available. We can still enjoy music with whatever we have in our room.

Jim

[prepress]

Originally Posted by Still-One

She is fortunate that you had not already committed to a new piece of gear. Take your time. Continue to audition gear and when the funds are available you will be ready. Upgrades in this hobby should only be made when the discretionary income is available. We can still enjoy music with whatever we have in our room.

Jim

Absolutely. Music can move you regardless of what it's played on, and I want it to be the focus, not the equipment. As for my plans, it would be much easier to spend, say, $1,000 on a new Salamander Synergy than $4,000–6,000 on a preamp right now, for sure. And it's not as if my ARC LS3 is terrible.

My main order of business is to clean up in here (TONS of clutter) then see where I'm at. This is the same friend who wants my Hooker TV console, but said last week that, as much as she wants it, I should consider trying to make it work. Despite the awkward access to components and limited space, I may, but I'd really like to reconfigure things at least.

[prepress]

Meantime, I am fighting the urge to go after a factory-refurbished Parasound JC 2, discounted accordingly. I would probably be tempted to go for the JC 3 also.

[o0OBillO0o]

Lets, revisit the Classe CP-800.

FULLY balanced from input to output
Asynchronous DAC (24/192)
USB
6 digital inputs
Bi amp and dual sub capable
works with Mac an PCs
Apple approved product

Uuuh, give me a Mac Mini, an iPad, a HD tracks account, and a CP-800, please!

Sent from my iPad using A.Aficionado

[prepress]

My high-speed internet was down for a while last month, and I noted my perspective and plans changed during that time. I also sense they're being influenced by a more frequent presence on the forum once again. Recent meteorological events in the northeast may have colored things a bit, too.

The first priority is again my equipment rack situation, as any new gear moves depend upon that. I will go back to my original rack, a humble Sanus EFAV, to support my 50" Kuro and the guts of my system (preamp, power conditioners, main disc players) for now. if I do move to something else, it will probably be an a la carte Salamander Synergy 30 if I'm satisfied it will work. If not, i should be content with what I have. As for the preamp, the original idea was "what if," which became "I'd like to"; with all the changes in my circumstances it's now "maybe, maybe not." My Christmas vacation plans are not final, but they have an influence as well.

Cost and long-term considerations are involved and now significant forces. I seem to have cooled on the C2300 due mainly to cost, along with the C50 for both cost and practical reasons as I don't need the extra features it offers over the C48 (which are what you're paying the extra $2,000 for, though the additional EQ bands have some potential benefit); it still wins on looks, though. The JC 2 could be limiting if the system expands; the same would apply to the CP-800 due to its insufficient number of analog inputs (added gear would be analog) and the fact that I have no plans for a digitally-based audio system.

So I come back to the C48. It is my frontrunner should I decide on a new preamp. It easily fits my most likely system scenarios. But even with that, my enthusiasm isn't as powerful as before. I'll see how things are once the equipment rack issue is resolved, and then where my head, wallet, and life are.

[prepress]

Though it was a brief session, I actually heard a C2300 today. It was feeding a pair of 601s and fed by a MCD1100. The speakers were Adam Audio (I forget the model). I didn't pay much attention to the cabling but did notice some balanced Kimber Hero sticking out the C2300's rear going to the amps. It looks nicer in person than the photos I've seen. And the alphanumeric display is green, not blue; they must photoshop all those photos I see, in which the display is blue. The 2300 was warm to the touch, but not hot. Still, warm enough that it definitely should have more room than my rack can give it. The stock tubes were installed.

The track I heard was by the Fairfield Four, an a cappella gospel group. I know not to invest too much in what I heard, but the voices sounded pretty realistic, with a nice touch of dynamics and detail. Overall, it was a bit more neutral-sounding than I'm used to. The last time I heard Adam Audio speakers (at my 501 audition) I was turned off by how bright they sounded. But this time, though different material and a different system, things weren't too bad. The speakers have a built-in sub, so the 601s were driving only the mids and highs.

Leaving the store, however, I began developing a bit of a headache. Could this have been due to the sound of the system, perhaps the speakers? I can't blame the 2300. So, the 2300 is back on my radar a bit, I suppose.

[JJinID]

I recommend checking out the ModWright LS100 as another possibility to add to your list. It has the option to do an add on module for either a USB/Coax DAC or a phon-pre if you are interested in either of those.

I am really liking the sound in my system with my MC501s!