Help me choose my next preamp - budget $3K --- ish

Thanks Davey.

I also want to give a big public "Thank You" to you personally - I appreciate your responses to my PM's throughout the course of my preamp hunt, and appreciate you sharing your in depth knowledge in this area too.

If I could have landed a CJ 17LS2 I would have, they are just rare as hen's teeth! If you do spot one moving forward, please notify me if you are able!! You have really helped to open my eyes to a lot of aspects of preamp design that helped me hone in on things I was not aware of before!

 

Congrats! Please let us know how you like it.

One advantage to buying used gear is being able to flip it without much of a loss (compared to buying it new) other than shipping if it isn't your cup of coffee.

 

The Accuphase C-2410 arrived yesterday!!!

I snapped some pics of the unboxing, then did a quick initial set up for testing --- I have it in an accessible temporary location as I run it through its paces. It is always good to show the quality packing HiFiDo does.

Didn't have a lot of time yesterday as I had to finish up my taxes --- but was able to get it set up and play a few LPs in between meetings and taxes!. I am listening to Miles Kind of Blue as I type, and to make a long story short on what I think of it --- there will be a Parasound P5 looking for a new home in the short term !! Don't let anyone tell you a higher quality preamp won't make a difference -- it does. (I am in the camp where I think the preamp is every bit, if not more, important than the power amp)

Now I am already wondering what it will sound like paired with an Accuphase power amp! I am already eyeing up the P4200 - I have an A21 already and something tells me the P4200 is going to be next level just like the C-2410 was.

Unboxing:

 

Hi @Richard Austen -- I was reading online trying to find as much information as possible on the Accuphase P4200 (of course there is not a ton of info here stateside) to pair with my new-to-me Accuphase C-2410 preamp (see above) ----- when I came across this from you Suggestions on SS amps for $4,000 or less - Audionirvana.org

I currently have a Parasound A21 running with the C-2410, and of course although the A21 is a fine amp, Accuphase feeding Accuphase will of course always be my best bet. I also wouldn't mind "warming it up" a touch as the A21 can be a tad on the neutral / cold side of things. (note I don't like overly colored, if at all, but like "natural" more than "neutral" if that makes sense).

It sounds like you've heard the 4200 --- at first I was wondering if it would be enough of an improvement over the A21. I thought about something like the P-7300 (lot of $$ and power to spare) or the P-450 or 550 (which has more power but is a couple generations older than the C-2410 preamp)

Note the P-4100 is actually the power amp from the same generation as the C-2410, and the recommendation with Accuphase is to pair components in the same generation as much as possible, or don't stray too far....... but the bottom line is I like the design / improvements of the 4200 over the 4100. Plus it is only one generation removed.

Any thoughts or experience you have here is welcomed, it sounds like you've at least heard the P-4200.

 

Sorry I have not heard it specifically. I emailed them to get a review sample bit never heard back. Have not given up. When I return from Easter vacation I will try the Hong Kong dealer. Though some outfits have largely left the US market so I've had a few not they are focused more ein Asia. I tend to agree with you on keeping the amplifier house sound. Preamp power amp together. But I suppose it depends on the companies in question.

 

Dang, that is a very good looking piece! Although, I would have a little trouble with the Manual

 

Late to the party and you may have already made a decision but here are my thoughts on a couple of pieces recommended and considered.
My experience with the ARC LS27 is that it is amazingly dynamic. I have no idea what that review is talking about when they say it isn't dynamic.
It can be reviewed as thin sounding at first listen. I put mine up for sale for a short time a couple weeks after it was in the system. After another week of listening the add was taken down. A year and a half later I'm still using it and it is probably the best part of my system. Dynamic, clear, clean, and dead silent. If bass is on the recording, it will play it just fine. If it isn't there, it doesn't add any. It doesn't add any romanticism. It doesn't add any anything. If you are looking for a slightly tubby sound this is not your preamp.

Careful with used Modwright LS-100s. This was on my want list as well. Until I found out that the remote only operates the volume and mute function. The remote has more buttons but they have no function. You cannot change the input, or HT bypass, or anything else. Just volume. This was a deal breaker for me.
Looks like this was changed with new models. Make sure to ask to make sure you know what you are getting into.

 

Thanks Richard......

Accuphase is one of those where near everyone touts the "Accuphase with Accuphase" for the pre / power combo. That's the first thing the contact at HiFiDo said when I bought the pre --- "......... are you going to get the P-4200 we also have now?" Sadly I did not as I was not ready, then of course it sold shortly thereafter.

 

Yeah, Japanese is not a second language for me either ---

Not that I really need the stinkin' manual anyway, but I may check around for an English version though since they do have a distributor channel in the US maybe there is one somewhere........ nothing turns up with an online search though. There are really cool English brochures and detailed sales PDF's though!

 

There are some phone apps that can sometimes work. I've used Microsoft Translator and Google Translate (Android apps) on Japanese packaging and instructions before. It won't be perfect, but may be good enough to get the gist of things. I assume there are similar apps available for IOS.

 

Gorgeous looking unit! I must admit that Accuphase is one of those rare brands which challenges my dedication to tubes.

 

Remote - interesting you bring that up -- for the C-2410 if one is looking for a "do everything" remote, forget about it you are barking up the wrong tree with most Accuphase preamps! The remote on many Accuphase gear does not even power on/off the unit - this unit (C-2410) was made in 2009 and still has the old school on / off button, not remote activated. The same minimalist remote goes for most of their preamps, all the way to the $12K retail C-2820 and most other top end pre's up to $20K (like the C-3820)....

The remote for Accuphase pre's pretty much changes your inputs and volume....... that's it and thank you very much! I am completely fine with that too, I realized it going in.

Plus on many Accuphase pre's there are no extras, like 12V triggers to power off the power amp, ground lifts or other "niceties" etc. I kind of like that too!

 

Well, conversely, my second and third choices were both tube units - so we are not far apart there on choice!!!

If a CJ 17LS2 would have popped I definitely would have tried it -- and still may! I still like the purist design of that unit, but have never heard one still to date! I still will probably try some tube units in the future --- I don't mind trying new things. Plus the journey is half the fun (at least for those of us that like pain )

Not to reaffirm your prior thoughts or tempt even further --- but this preamp is fabulous. The look, feel before you even turn it on screams quality, then the bonus is how it raises the quality bar for your analog devices after you hook it up. The optimal job of a good preamp is theoretically one that provides a "straight wire" and neither degrades nor enhances the sound - one that gets out of the way and provides the function of the perfect traffic cop. With that this preamp truly delivers - the sound from my different turntables, phono pre's, CD players and HT never sounded so good.

My Parasound P5 was a good $1K preamp, it performed admirably and I liked it --- but always knew I was leaving a little on the table compared to my other gear in the chain. But I truly did not expect this big of a jump in quality.

Today I was listening to a 1964 Verve pressing of BIll Evans with my GT-2000L turntable / AT-PTG33ii, running through my new Parasaound JC3+ phono preamp, feeding the C-2410 / Parasound A21 power amp ---- and unsolicited my wife turned to me and said "it sounds like the piano is here in the room." And she is typically a VERY tough customer when it comes to offering praise to the audio gear........ but at the same time she said it, I was soaking in the sound thinking the same thing.

This is what we put all this work in for --- to get those moments of quality as our reward --- now I am looking forward to pairing this with an Accuphase power amp to see what happens then.

Can you tell from the last couple of posts how satisfied I am with this purchase? Many of you know I can be a tough customer and not an automatic "its great" for everything I purchase --- but this one I feel like I nailed it and worth every penny of the $3500 I spent.. Plus it looks good doing it - Accuphase pre's have an understated elegance to them -- handsome is a term that comes to mind! Some other preamps I was looking at had looks that resembled a camp stove and had to wonder how I was going to fit it into my set up --- the 2410 definitely has the classic old school audio look to it! (which I like).

 

For the price you had in mind, you can sometimes find a used Atma-Sphere MP-3.

The MP-3 is based on the Atma-Sphere MP-1, which was the first balanced line preamp offered to home audio (1989; and is all-tube with a direct-coupled patented output). To this day, those two preamps are some of the very few in high end audio that actually support the balanced line standard (a.k.a AES48). The thing about supporting the standard is your interconnect cables get a lot less critical and you can run them a lot longer distance with no worries- 100 feet if need be is no problem.

 

Just when I think that I can't have modern convenience with a 1978 classic piece! Sure has a throwback vibe to it. Gorgeous bit of gear!

 

Thanks........ This particular unit was made in 2011 to boot.......... I love the classic look of it too! One thing about Accuphase, they tend to keep a certain look going for a long while...

For instance I was just looking at this C-260 made in 1991 a few minutes ago - C-260 Accuphase - HiFi-Do McIntosh/JBL/audio-technica/Jeff Rowland/Accuphase - look kinda similar?

 

wow that is another drool worthy piece! i somehow missed this thread, hope you are continuing to enjoy it.
question- what kind of transformer do you use for the 100v japan domestic products? do you notice any issues with doing this? thanks.

 

Although it’s under the radar, look into “the beast “ an all tube pre-amp made by aural thrills audio. Its all tube: 274b rectifier, 6v6 power tubes and 5 12ax7s. It takes both mm and mc cartridges. I use it with my McIntosh 252 and it sounds great and only costs $2k. You will be hard pressed to find an all tube phono preamp that beats it at that price.

 

The beast is actually $2500

 

Thanks Avanti. Yes, continuing to enjoy it.... especially now that it's matched with other Accuphase components.

I've settled on Acupwr for the transformer, own a few in different locations. Nikko can be good too, own one of those.

Pay attention to your mains voltage output, and what the transformer rating is. Avoid the $30 Amazon-types made in countries where the goal was cost reduction. Not an area where you want to play with "fire" literally and cheap out. Plus, my guess is you won't be buying cheap gear, and I know you'll match powering it accordingly.

No issues whatsoever.