Hi,

I have only just renewed my love of all things hifi.

Raising a family, working & all those things have limited my ability to have any 'decent' hifi. I'm not alone here, so it's not a sob story, it's just life, for some of us!

Well I'm gonna change all that.

I retired, early, aged 50, in 2000, after over 30 years of working.

All my children have left home now, so I now have time to get back into hifi.

I have met someone who is an electronics 'wizz kid' & we have become good friends.

Anyway he has taken my Marantz DC67 OSE SE & tweaked it, wow it makes me happy anyway.

Then he told me about a pair of Ruark Talisman speakers for sale, used of course, I got them for £145, I only had a Nad 3140 amp, told you I didn't have any 'decent hifi, but again it has stood the test of time.

I have recently bought a Harman Kardon PA2400 power amp & I am using the Nad's 3140 preamp ability, again it is holding it's own.

I am now looking for a better preamp, as you do!! Any advice re preamp is welcome.

So that's me, just about to start for REAL in the never ending world of hifi.

I live in the UK in West Yorkshire, but I was born in London.

My interests are, hifi, obviously, music, film, dvds, reading, collecting & my two grandchildren, who supercede every other thing in my life!!

I shall be asking all sorts of 'naive' hifi questions, but I will search this site first to see if I can get an answer first, so PLEASE bear with me, but as I have already said I am completely out of touch with the hifi world + I am not a 'techie'

Apologies for rambling on, just wanted you to know where I am at.

Mick aka willie

i find myself in the same predicament, one that this forum helps with a great deal. glad you found us.

You'll fit right in here. Welcome aboard!!

Larry

By the way, we don't have a whole bunch of people here who use the phrase, "why don't you try the 'search' function?"

We,, maybe if you ask the same question six times in a row.........

Hi-fi, mid-fi, low-fi, no-fi ... ask away. And input is always welcome.

Hi
Enjoy yourelf and ask away. We will answer and if we don't know we lie. LOL

Thank you for introducing yourself, I think you will find a lot of members in like situations.

Jim

williegarvi???

Welcome to The Sound, Mick.

Are you looking for a preamp to use it with the power input of your Nad or with the HK?

Sorry to ask this.... I don't know very well the HK but i know pretty well the Nad 3140. It has the same topology and design from the famous 3020 only with more output power. It's a good amplifier. Even tough, if want to upgrade your Nad preamp IMHO, and since you're in UK you can't go wrong with something like these:

Naim NAC52 or 72 ( or better...)
Rega Cursa 2000
Audiolab 8000A or 8000C (better psu and components)
Musical Fidelity A1 FBP

Thanks for the introduction. Its always nice to learn something about the person behind the moniker. Glad your here.

Hi to all,

Thanks for the welcome, this is my sort of place.

I can feel it in my wallet, oops I mean bones!!!

Clint e,

Thanks for your reply, sorry that I didn't make myself clear, it's old age setting in!!

At the moment I am using my faithful, but old, Nad 3140's pre out to the Harman Kardon PA2400 & on to my Ruark Templar speakers.

Everything sounds ok to me, but, as we all know in hifi, is it 'THE RIGHT SOUND', I do not know if the HK amp deserves a better preamp!!!

I have been looking at a Tag Mclaren PA20R preamp, for sale in the uk, to compliment the HK amp, as I originally said in my introduction, this is what I consider to be a 'naive' question. But it's based on my lack of knowledge re all things hifi. Hence me being here.

Anyway here is a link for info on the HK amp & the Tag Mclaren PA20R.

http://www.audioreview.com/mfr/harman-kard...21_1583crx.aspx

http://www.iaguk.co.uk/tag/

I am sorry but with the TAG link it just takes you to the Tag Mclaren home page. To get to the correct preamp........click on Electronic's then pre & power amps then stereo preamps then select PA20R.

Once again, thanks for the ST welcome.............................AWESOME!!

mick aka willie

I don't know the unit you'd mention but from the specs and the simple fact that Tag bought Audiolab a few years ago, it seems to me that's a very good preamp.

The TAG looks more than capable but for a wider response you may want to post in the "Solid State" forum and link back to this post. Jump right in .

Welcome Mick!

Finding a good sounding preamp is just as important as having a good amp because crappy preamps can degrade the audio signal which no amp can restore. So, what is your preamp adding or taking away from the signal? If your CDP has variable output or your amp has volume controls, you can hook your CDP output directly to your amp. This will give you the cleanest sound and a baseline for comparison. Now add the preamp and listen for what it is adding or taking away from your favorite CD's.

IMO, a preamp should be invisible and do nothing but in reality, only the best and most expensive preamps are totally transparent. Since I am not willing to spend big bucks, I go without a preamp for CD playback. When I am in the mood for vinyl (sometimes) or FM (rarely), I fire up my trusty receiver.

Hi Socal Sam,

Thanks for the welcome & info.

I should point out that I tend to buy my hifi 'used' as I cannot afford these prices either.

I cannot understand where some, if not all, of the hifi manufacturers get there prices!!

The 'onboard' electronics cannot ever go beyond hundreds of pounds/dollars/etc & I know there is the 'development' costs but I do feel we do get 'ripped off'.

My wizz kid mate says that he has looked inside some 'high end' kit & is amazed at the quality of some of the parts used.

When he modded my Marantz CD67 he just damped the case down & upgraded caps, op amps & generally checked & where needed, upgraded the electronics.
He also tended to fit IE sockets where they weren't fitted so that you could use a better power cable!!

I bought the HKPA2400 & the Roksan Kandy off Ebay, but I am constantly on the prowl for hifi bargains & I look at these UK sites on a regular basis,

http://www.hi-fiadverts.co.uk/

http://www.audioemotion.co.uk/

http://www.badaweb.co.uk/showsearch.php?site=bada

I use these & Ebay as a source where I can see what hifi is fetching what price, in fact I 'watch' items on Ebay & then take a print for future reference!

Anyway, ST user hakka26 suggested that I post this post in 'solid state' & link it back to this post.........................please can you explain how I do this please.

Have only just joined ST & if feels like home, as I have already said.................AWESOME!

Thanks,

mick aka willie