Hi all, I'm looking for a new pre-amp at about $800.00. I know that's not much, but It's all I can afford. I was looking at the new Emotiva RSP-2. Do you have any other suggestions?

the Emotiva brand has a solid reputation so its not really a bad gamble. for $700 it would be hard to go wrong, but if you find it not to your liking you can send it back.

have you considered the used market? there are lots of options to be found in your price range on places like audiogon.com.

solid state pre's:
http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/srch_fs.pl...atran&submit=Go

tube pre's:
http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/srch_fs.pl...atube&submit=Go

Older Classe preamps like the 5 and 6 are within your budget. The 5RC is remote controlled. The 6 has a separate power supply. Made in Canada, they are high-end.

Hafler makes a great preamp. Read the reviews. I have owned several. The cost is minimal to performance. They are a vintage anp. You can ask alot of people in this group about Hafler they will tell you. Here is one for sale.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Hafler-DH-101-Hi-Fi-Pr...p3286.m20.l1116

Thanks Guys I will check these out. I'm currently still using my 37 year old Crown IC-150. I wondering if I will hear any tonal quality improvements with one of these high end units. I know S/N ratios will probably be much better, but will it sound any better through say the CD input which is basically a straight through connection. I know my Music Hall mmf 7 should sound better.

CD direct vs. preamp is a very tough test for any preamp. Like amplifiers, preamps can be tested for square wave reproduction, which has a strong correlation to clarity and accuracy. So, if you have a preamp that cannot reproduce square waves, your amp no matter how good will sound like your crappy preamp.

The challenge is to find a preamp with great square wave reproduction. For example, my Classe has perfect reproduction everywhere except the lowest registers where there is slight tilting. The sound is almost as good as going CD direct except the bass is a touch shy.

Unfortunately, most manufacturers will not publish these test results although you can be sure they test their own and the competition's gear. However, comparing CD direct to your preamp will give you a good approximation of your preamp's square wave reproduction ability. Before I had my Classe tested, my prediction of greatness was very close.

So, once you have taken care of your preamp choice, you should take a look at your other components. Your amplifier, CDP, and even your speakers have sound reproduction curves, which can be optimized through model and brand choice.

Problem is if you really want to compare the best equipment to amplify with, you would hear more differences using R2R than using any digital media.

So how to compare the CD-build-in preamp with a stand alone Pre-Amp if the signal you provide is not good enough for the use to reveal the differences clearly enough?

For further opinions of mine on this subject, please read this thread first:

http://www.sound-thinking.org/index.php?showtopic=5051&hl=


"dolph"

I'd have to disagree with you the the CDP vs. RTR is the determining factor for amps and preamps. A great pre and amp will optimize reproduction whatever source you are using. I'm assuming the source equipment is well built. If any of your equipment down the line colors the signal (i.e. excessive tilting, sloped attack and decay, overshooting, ringing, etc., etc.), you will end up with crap. The best RTR in world will not overcome this.

I guess what I'm asking is will a good modern pre-amp sound any better than my 37 year old Crown?

no

If the Crown adds veiling or rolls off top and bottom compared to CD direct, the answer is yes, your system can be improved with a new preamp. The best preamps add nothing and are totally transparent so that you will not hear any difference compared to CD direct.

not necessarily. a lot of factors are in play, here. does the Crown have any operational issues, old or bad caps etc.? it will also depend on which modern pre you compare it to, and then what kind of sound you prefer.

And just how will an amp optimize the signal from the source?
In my terminology an amp of good quality doesn't change the signal characteristics comming from the source.

And yes, we do disagree on this point.
The source able to be as most true to the Analog Reference is, for me, the one to use for choosing peripheral gear.

"dolph"

From my previous post:

If any of your equipment down the line colors the signal (i.e. excessive tilting, sloped attack and decay, overshooting, ringing, etc., etc.), you will end up with crap.

The effects I mention are output effects compared to a square wave input. This applies to preamps, amps, CDP's, RTR's, and even TT's. Anything that takes an input signal or source and reproduces the signal can be compared before and after. This is rationale behind the square wave test and is an industry standard test for accuracy.

i loved the sound of crown 37 yrs ago. the reason i like hafler is because it doesn't add to the end result. it it sounds good to you why get rid of it? it's the law of diminishing returns. what diminishes is your wallet. there is nothing wrong with owning vintage.