I've been using the digital volume control in my Linn Klimax Renew DS , directly connected to my Linn power amp for some time now, and although it sounded good it didn’t sound great, and I thought it should be sounding better than it was (especially considering the cost)
After exploring several avenues I decided to take a punt on a analogue pre amp courtesy of Fidelity Audio, a company based in Doncaster that make small pre amps, headphone amps and specialise in upgrading various pieces of kit including amps and cd players
I opted for the SE version of their single source pre amp - the PRE 120. I didn't get a chance to try before buying but after a couple of online conversations with Brent from Fidelity Audio I decided to take a punt on this unit, that weighs in at £600 including postage
I'm pleased to report that this is one of the best upgrades ever in my 30 year hifi journey, worth every penny and has transformed my system from a good one to a great one. So much more enjoyable to listen to now with more detail, more warmth and definitely more musical (I certainly know what that word means now!)
This really was quite a revelation , I was hoping for an improvement, but didn’t expect this level of improvement, it really has enhanced all elements of the sound, one of the areas that is most noticeable is the bass, I wasn’t actually expecting that, but it is very welcome as using small stand mount speakers any increase in bass is always a plus point. There is more of a smoothness and more separation, increased body and weight and also to my surprise there is now more detail (I thought there may have been slightly less if anything) and an overall more refined and engaging sound
I would recommend anyone that is using a digital system that feels that their system is lacking that musicality and boogie factor, soulfulness or warmth to try using a quality analogue preamp between your components. I appreciate that in theory this could actually deteriorate the sound as it is less direct and adding extra stages to the signal, in my case it was definitely an improvement. I will certainly be hanging on to this unit for the foreseeable future. My feet are now firmly tapping along..........
The Fidelity Audio Pre 120 SE is a keeper for me and highly recommended as a single source analogue pre amp solution.
Happy days 🙂
After exploring several avenues I decided to take a punt on a analogue pre amp courtesy of Fidelity Audio, a company based in Doncaster that make small pre amps, headphone amps and specialise in upgrading various pieces of kit including amps and cd players
I opted for the SE version of their single source pre amp - the PRE 120. I didn't get a chance to try before buying but after a couple of online conversations with Brent from Fidelity Audio I decided to take a punt on this unit, that weighs in at £600 including postage
I'm pleased to report that this is one of the best upgrades ever in my 30 year hifi journey, worth every penny and has transformed my system from a good one to a great one. So much more enjoyable to listen to now with more detail, more warmth and definitely more musical (I certainly know what that word means now!)
This really was quite a revelation , I was hoping for an improvement, but didn’t expect this level of improvement, it really has enhanced all elements of the sound, one of the areas that is most noticeable is the bass, I wasn’t actually expecting that, but it is very welcome as using small stand mount speakers any increase in bass is always a plus point. There is more of a smoothness and more separation, increased body and weight and also to my surprise there is now more detail (I thought there may have been slightly less if anything) and an overall more refined and engaging sound
I would recommend anyone that is using a digital system that feels that their system is lacking that musicality and boogie factor, soulfulness or warmth to try using a quality analogue preamp between your components. I appreciate that in theory this could actually deteriorate the sound as it is less direct and adding extra stages to the signal, in my case it was definitely an improvement. I will certainly be hanging on to this unit for the foreseeable future. My feet are now firmly tapping along..........
The Fidelity Audio Pre 120 SE is a keeper for me and highly recommended as a single source analogue pre amp solution.
Happy days 🙂