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| Pre-Amplifiers |
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| AMC 1100 | £150 | Mar 99 | Tone controls cannot be defeated and the sum total is a little metallic but value in spades. |
| Creek OBH-11SE | £199 | Apr 99 | A very lucid, natural headphone amp which scores as highly on acoustic and Classical as it does on Rock. |
| Creek OBH-12 | £200 | Jul 98 | Only poor cosmetics mar the Creek. Sonically it's a gem. |
| Moth 30 Passive | £149 | Mar 99 | Won't win prizes for best build but a flexible effort for a passive. Somewhat dry presentation overall. |
| Musical Fidelity X-Cans | £130 | Mar 98 | If you haven't yet experienced the world of quality headphone listening, the X-Cans is the way to start. |
| Musical Fidelity X-Pre | £200 | Jan 98 | A smooth, sweet and musical performer. |
| Musical Fidelity X-Tone | £120 | Mar 99 | Easy-to-use stand-alone modern tone control with subtle effect. At present deleted, worthwhile 2nd hand. |
| Project 7 | £259 | Feb 95 | Immensely enjoyable and listenable, a rare mixture of sophistication and fun. |
| Rotel RC-971 | £150 | Mar 99 | Five line-level inputs and tone controls make for flexibility. Partnered by the RB-971 power amp, good value. |
| Technics SU-C1000MkII | £299 | Apr 98 | Needs slightly more taut bass and a less grainy midrange to bring it up with the best. |
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| Audio Note MIR Preamp &
Audio Note P Zero monoblocs |
£749
£699 |
Aug 01 | Tremendous life, zip and brio make for an eminently musical listen, but try before you buy as it may not be to everyone's taste. |
| Audio Analogue Bellini | £475 | Apr 98 | Organic and transparent. Free from transistor hardness. |
| Aura CA200 | £749 | Mar 97 | A smooth and sweet sound devoid of roughness. |
| Crimson CS610C | £440 | Nov 98 | The phono stage is the main area of weakness. Can sound a touch muddled at times. |
| Croft Epoch | £600 | Jun 96 | A fine sounding preamp, but the phono stage is weak in the bass. |
| Croft Vitale | £350 | Feb 00 | Sparkling valve pre-amp at a very modest price. Humble finish but exceedingly sweet sound. |
| Cyrus Pre | £650 | Feb 96 | Pre-amplifier has plenty of facilities, but sounds a little unexciting and 'conventional'. |
| Heybrook Signature II | £549 | May 97 | Impressive smoothness and tonal colour, transparent as well. |
| Meridian 501.2 | £750 | Nov 99 | Impressive with high octane music, but lacks that bit of warmth to bring out the best in laid-back material. |
| Naim NAC 112 Pre &
Naim NAO 150 Pwr |
£625
£750 |
Jun 01 | A more gripping and thrilling sound at this price you will not get, but this combo won't be to everyone's taste. |
| PM Audio Lab L1S | £650 | Dec 95 | This valve pre-amp is very good value indeed. |
| Rothwell Indus | £499 | May 99 | Passive pre of box-of-switches, whichever way you look at it the Indu sis stylishly finished and well conceived. |
| Sumo Athena II | £767 | May 96 | More valve-like than transistor in sound; highly competent if not spectacular. |
| Talk Hurricane 1 | £500 | Jun 97 | Flexible with a strong controlled sound, but won't suit all tastes. |
| Technics SU-C1000 | £350 | Feb 97 | Good when mains powered, even better running on its batteries. One to consider at the price. |
| Thorens TTA2000 | £550 | Jul 95 | Poor sound quality and engineering let this pre-amp down. Pricey too. |
| Unison Res. Feather 1 | £795 | Aug 98 | Warm but still exciting, it is only let down by a slightly recessed midrange |
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| Audiolab 8000Q | £999 | Jun 95 | Highly recommended for its blend of operational sophistication, build and sound quality. |
| Croft Epoch Elite | £950 | Oct 99 | Fast and detailed with a breathtaking clarity and sweetness. Well worth saving up for. |
| Cyrus aCA7.5 | £800 | Jan 01 | Confident, musical and a joy to use. The competition is tough but they stand their ground admirably. Great upgradability. |
| Etalon Preamplifier | £1095 | Feb 98 | Smooth, even and transparent. Well worth the outlay. |
| John Shearne Phase 6 | £895 | Sep 96 | Matched with a smooth amp and íspeakers the Phase 6 is capable of a transparent and rewarding performance |
| Linn Wakonda | £900 | Apr 98 | In terms of musicality and involvement it falls short. |
| Meridian 502 | £1295 | Dec 96 | Transparent, detailed sound with good tonal range and very natural presentation. |
| Meridian 502 pre &
Meridian 557 power |
£1385
£1525 |
Mar 01 | Classy, confident and mature sounding with plenty of power and dynamic control, this is an essential audition. Supremely versatile too. |
| Musical Fidlelity A3cr Pre & Power | £999
each |
Apr 00 | A corking duo that set a new sonic standard at the price. Listen and weep! |
| Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista | £1200 | Sep 98 | A truly competent pre-amp whose high-end sound comes with a very reasonable price tag. |
| Musical Fidelity X-P100 | £800 | Jul 99 | Clear, fast and flexible. 'Son of NuVista' is a substantial chip off the same block. |
| Naim NAC102 | £999 | Apr 97 | This even-handed performer images well and deals confidently with music regardless of genre |
| Quad 7741 | £850 | Jul 96 | Bright and detailed, but phono stage is inadequate at this price. |
| TAG McLaren PA10 | £850 | Nov 98 | Justifies its price with a very musical and revealing performance. |
| XTC Pre-1 | £1000 | Nov 96 | This pre-amp is highly detailed and spacious. |
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| Audiovalve PPP30 | £1995 | Mar 95 | A bright and lean approach to the valve sound. |
| Canary 601 MkII | £1600 | Apr 99 | Very musical, very revealing. A credit to the valve tradition with considerable kick in reserve. |
| Chord CPA 1800 | £1774 | Mar 98 | Has it all - detail, transparency, slam and rhythm. In a word excellent. |
| Final Music 5 | £1500 | Feb 99 | Partner for the Final Music-6 power amp. Battery powered. |
| Focusrite Red 4 | £2345 | Feb 96 | Smooth and detailed sound. Not as clinical as some professional amps can be. |
| Galactron Pre | £1630 | Nov 95 | Smooth, but dull balance makes it suitable for bright systems. |
| Marantz 7 | £3500 | Mar 97 | Superb, combines delicacy and power, especially with a vinyl source. |
| Michel Orca | £1650 | Oct 98 | With its Panasonic pot, the Orca reaches new standards of transparency and involvement. |
| Samuel Johnson PCA 100 | £2115 | Jul 00 | Very creditable solid-state amplifier with well-maintained power. Clean and full musical sound. Slightly expensive but stylish. |
| Sugden Masterclass Pre
Sugden Masterclass Pwr |
£2100
£3150 |
Nov 01 | These are serious amps albeit at a serious price. Beautifully built with a smooth sweet valve-like quality but with plenty of power. |
| Unison Res. Mystery 2 | £1750 | May 98 | Offers finesse, control and clarity for a very reasonable outlay. |
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| current issue | emails & letters | contacts | suppliers | computer audio world | world audio design |