| PRE-AMPLIFIERS - UNDER £300 |
| PRICES SHOWN ARE THOSE AT THE TIME OF REVIEW |
| Pre-Amplifiers |
£ |
Year |
Verdict |
| 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. |
| PRE-AMPLIFIERS - £300 - £799 |
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 |
| PRE-AMPLIFIERS - £800 - £1499 |
| 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. |
| PRE-AMPLIFIERS - £1500+ |
| 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. |
