Davodavesz Posted February 17 Posted February 17 I am looking to add a pre-amp to my system. I have a pair of bel canto 500w monoblocks as well as an Eversolo DMP-A6 streamer. Finally a pair of Polk Reference 700 floor standing speakers. I am using music strada#211 balanced interconnects. The eversolo produces a reasonable sound given the price. Would I be better off upgrading my streamer or adding a pre- amp to achieve a cleaner sound? Any thoughts will be appreciated
aussievintage Posted February 17 Posted February 17 32 minutes ago, Davodavesz said: I am looking to add a pre-amp to my system. I have a pair of bel canto 500w monoblocks as well as an Eversolo DMP-A6 streamer. Finally a pair of Polk Reference 700 floor standing speakers. I am using music strada#211 balanced interconnects. The eversolo produces a reasonable sound given the price. Would I be better off upgrading my streamer or adding a pre- amp to achieve a cleaner sound? Any thoughts will be appreciated Adding devices to the sound chain will not deliver a more clean sound in general.
reignofchaos Posted February 21 Posted February 21 On 17/02/2025 at 12:28 PM, aussievintage said: Adding devices to the sound chain will not deliver a more clean sound in general. In this case it will as eversolo a6 has a pretty terrible digital volume control that eats bits. 1 1
SonicArt Posted February 21 Posted February 21 add a schiit freya for versatility, tube output, jfet output, or passive, balanced and SE in and out. 1
MattyW Posted February 22 Posted February 22 The cleanest I've used which doesn't seem to add or detract in any way is the icOn 4PRO passive pre. Stunning sonics.
Silver Audiophile Posted February 23 Posted February 23 (edited) A tube pre amp may help balance the rest of your solid state gear. If you feel your current gear is too lean, and/or underwhelming, definitely a tube pre amp. My choice: Sunvalley SV-310 pre amp (Japanese version). Below a sample photo of one. The YouTube video below is of my Sunvalley SV-310 pre amp working in my system. Edited February 23 by Silver Audiophile 4
xlr8or Posted February 23 Posted February 23 12 minutes ago, lujiez said: it is based on the Japanese Kondo M7. This is what a Kondo M7 looks like inside, which is different to the preamp you have. https://www.monoandstereo.com/kondo-m7-heritage-preamplifier/ 1
Davodavesz Posted February 25 Author Posted February 25 On 17/02/2025 at 3:19 PM, Davodavesz said: Okay Thanks, that makes sense Do you think a pre- amp would improve the soundstage?
Silver Audiophile Posted February 25 Posted February 25 10 minutes ago, Davodavesz said: Do you think a pre- amp would improve the soundstage? A good pre amp.. hell yeah
Davodavesz Posted February 25 Author Posted February 25 3 minutes ago, Silver Audiophile said: A good pre amp.. hell yeah What would I need to pay for a "good" one?
Silver Audiophile Posted February 25 Posted February 25 (edited) 2 hours ago, Davodavesz said: What would I need to pay for a "good" one? $1000 to $3000 for a decent used Japanese tube pre amp. The Sunvalley SV-310 pre amps go for about AU$2,500-$3,000 used (one of my current pre-amps). I upgraded a pair of caps with Jupiter Cooper foils for another $400. Edited February 25 by Silver Audiophile 1
lujiez Posted February 25 Posted February 25 Xlr8or cliff reached out to me and said this. I think Thejt ( I forget his avatar) said it was the kondo m7. I googled it and there must be a heap of different versions and a heap that have been heavily modified. When I look up “kondo m7 line pre amp” I found one that has the single front knob and basic internals (although I got no idea on the exact parts) but I’m sure it’s just cliffs version based on m7 I.e silver throughout signal path which I checked (mainly because I’ve never seen silver wire before ) there’s also a heap closely named to m7 like msl 7 and m77 etc and then there’s newer and older versions etc etc here is some info on the changes over the years I don’t know how old my version is but I’d guess 15 + years minimum going down this rabbit hole hurts my head haha Ah well I’m slowly learning things
muon* Posted February 25 Posted February 25 (edited) That one you posted a pic of above is mono take on the design. A build by Bigun on diyaudio. https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/build-of-kondo-m7-kondo-ashizawa-m7h-g-1000-ge-10-upgrade.397461/ Lots of tube pre amp have a tube power supply (tube rectifier) Edited February 25 by muon* 2
xlr8or Posted February 25 Posted February 25 (edited) 5 hours ago, lujiez said: Xlr8or cliff reached out to me and said this. I think Thejt ( I forget his avatar) said it was the kondo m7. I googled it and there must be a heap of different versions and a heap that have been heavily modified. When I look up “kondo m7 line pre amp” I found one that has the single front knob and basic internals (although I got no idea on the exact parts) but I’m sure it’s just cliffs version based on m7 I.e silver throughout signal path which I checked (mainly because I’ve never seen silver wire before ) there’s also a heap closely named to m7 like msl 7 and m77 etc and then there’s newer and older versions etc etc here is some info on the changes over the years I don’t know how old my version is but I’d guess 15 + years minimum going down this rabbit hole hurts my head haha Ah well I’m slowly learning things The preamp you have posted in your other thread does not resemble a Japanese made Kondo M7 preamplifier in any manner. It is short a few tubes in its circuitry design to achieve that status. Yes, there are many clones of the M7 as there is an Audio Note version of the M7. Using 2 x 12AX7's and 1 tube/SS rectifier is common practice in tube linestage preamp design. @klm Edited February 25 by xlr8or 2
lujiez Posted February 25 Posted February 25 The pic was a reference to show that not all the Kondos had a bunch more components. The message in the pic was from Cliff himself. Since he built it himself and literally had “ silver” in the name (important later if you read this in its entirety) As for a lot of people making tube powered pre amps, a lot of people do a lot of things in life, it’s just some are more recognised and successful than others. There are many clones, but what I said were there were many m7 variants, obviously with all wiring schemes simple and conplex. I asked chatgpt “what makes a kondo m7 a kondo m7 as in the design principal or essence?” This is its reply The Kondo M7 preamplifier is defined by its pure silver signal path, minimalist circuit design, and transformer-coupled topology. Its essence lies in the Audio Note Japan (Kondo) philosophy, which prioritizes: • Handmade silver components: Kondo pioneered the use of high-purity silver wiring, capacitors, and transformers, claiming superior signal integrity. • Simple, low-feedback circuits: The M7 uses a minimalist topology with minimal or no negative feedback to preserve natural dynamics and harmonic structure. • Transformer coupling: Unlike capacitor-coupled designs, Kondo employs interstage transformers for better impedance matching and a more organic sound. • Tube-based architecture: Typically uses carefully selected NOS tubes for their tonal qualities and linearity. • Point-to-point wiring: Avoids PCBs, with direct hand-wired connections for reduced signal degradation. • No-compromise components: Uses custom-made resistors, capacitors, and chassis materials designed to reduce microphonics and vibration. The essence of the M7 is its pursuit of natural, organic sound reproduction, prioritizing micro-detail, harmonic richness, and a fluid, lifelike presentation over raw technical measurements So I’m not sure there is any room for doubt on any level whatsoever. 1) Cliff said it’s based on an M7 and he built it 2) it literally is the essence of m7 design principals 3) There are counted 15 variants of the m7 some including only 3 tubes (particularly the line stage as mentioned) 4) there are even sub variants of these variants. 5) cliffs brand “Audio Synergy” was mentioned in What Hifi magazine in a system that included Mober turntable Linn Ekos tonearm with VDH tonearm cabling Ortofon Cadenza Black cartridge Lite Audio LT-One CD transport RCM Audio Sensor 2 phono preamplifier dCS Bartók DAC/streamer with Nordost power cable Roon Nucleus music server Audio Synergy valve pre-amp Audio Synergy Chad P300Bmonoblocks power amplifiers (upgraded silver wiring and V Caps) Klipsch Cornwall IVspeakers Audio Synergy solid silver speaker cables and silver interconnects Nordost interconnects and power cables IsoAcoustics isolation platforms Butler Interiors cabinetry DESIGN & INSTALLATION Frank Prowse Hi-Fi https://www.whathifi.com/features/aussie-hi-fi-rooms-a-music-haven-for-digital-and-vinyl this was in 2021, and the only reason he upgraded his audio synergy tube dac was the lack of modern features like MQA and most likely basic connections. Frank Prowse and Cliff Dsouza are 2 out of only a handful of people that have owned brick and mortar shops in Perth with Franks store being in operation since 1990. If it’s this recognised, I wouldn’t consider him just another guy building a pre amp with a tube power supply… in my opinion from what I’ve researched and been told by many people.
muon* Posted February 26 Posted February 26 (edited) 3 hours ago, lujiez said: The pic was a reference to show that not all the Kondos had a bunch more components Not surprising that one pictured has fewer components, It's mono, so one channel of a stereo one build. Edit: Anyway, that's all I'm pointing out. Edited February 26 by muon* 1
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