Audiophile Stereo Preamps Reviewed

If you’ve been to an audiophile show in recent years, there is little question you’ve seen CH Precision being used in some of the most exotic, ultra-high-end demo systems. With the collapse of so many of the A-list, blue-chip audiophile… Read the Review »

Parasound was established in 1981 in the Northern California Bay Area, and has been respected by enthusiast audiophiles, as well as in the professional audio and video world, ever since. Their longtime founder, Richard Schram, recently sold the company to… Read the Review »

Infigo Audio is an exciting new player in the red-hot world of uber-high-end audiophile electronics. The Canada-based company has a long history in the audiophile industry, and it is coming to market with a full suite of electronics and cables… Read the Review »

I have enjoyed tubed audiophile preamplifiers for decades, but had never spent any time with gear from Vincent Audio until just recently, when my publisher asked me if I would be interested in reviewing a tubed preamplifier from Vincent Audio. I quickly… Read the Review »

Not many of us saw Bose buying McIntosh and Sonus faber (read about it here), but that recently happened, with the pundits saying it was a way for Bose to get further into the automotive space. That’s all well and good, but… Read the Review »

Schiit Audio has long been a value leader in the world of audiophile equipment, known for offering high-quality gear at very approachable price points. Founded in 2010 by Jason Stoddard and Mike Moffat, the company quickly carved out a niche… Read the Review »

Bryston Ltd is a Canadian electronics firm that has been designing and manufacturing consumer and professional audio for the last 35 years, and is based out of the small town of Dwight, Ontario, here in Canada.  In their 35 years, Bryston… Read the Review »

By the time that this stereo preamp review goes live, you will likely have seen that its close relative, the SPL Director MK2 DAC Preamp for $3,699 (read the review), has won our 2024 Gear We Love Component of the… Read the Review »

Benchmark Media Systems made its reputation in both pro audio and audiophile circles by designing gear with extraordinarily low noise and distortion, and selling it at reasonable prices. When I reviewed Benchmark’s AHB2 stereo power amp (read my review), I was so… Read the Review »

So I get a phone call from a fellow audiophile friend who is known for un-Earthing some of the more high performance and often value-oriented brands in the audiophile world and he’s ranting and raving. He recently found a German… Read the Review »

When I think of badass audiophile power amps, there are a few brands that pop into my head, but at the front of the list is Boulder. Before the CEDIA trade show (mostly for AV custom installers) this past fall… Read the Review »

A few months ago, I wrote about secret designers quietly making very high-value audiophile components. Seeking these products out is often worth the effort, as they tend to punch above their weight class. Darren Meyers is quite not an audiophile… Read the Review »

I recently had the opportunity to review Adcom’s latest update on the Nelson Pass-designed Class-AB $1,395 GFA-555ms power amplifier, and walked away quite impressed by its combination of ample and clean power, retro appeal and astonishing value. As is the story with… Read the Review »

Let’s start with the fact that FIIO is a Chinese company. I’m not sure I’m ready to call the R7 Chi-Fi, however. I’m not sure we have an Oxford definition of the term Chi-Fi, but to me that term is… Read the Review »

Nelson Pass’ name is on the front door of Pass Labs and for good reason. He is very possibly the most important amplifier designer to walk the Earth. Here’s something that not every audiophile knows but is true, though: Nelson… Read the Review »

It has become a somewhat common trend to try and eliminate a stereo preamp, particularly in digital-only systems. Connecting an amplifier directly to an audiophile DAC, to some, saves money on component costs, cable costs, and, theoretically, provides a shorter… Read the Review »

Classé is one of the most respected electronics brands in the audiophile world, but the last handful of years have been a bit tumultuous for the company. They’ve been spun-off, sold, and re-sold. Their current owners are thankfully Masimo Consumer,… Read the Review »

It is no secret that we at Future Audiophile are fans of GaN technology and have a great deal of respect for AGD Productions for getting on the bleeding edge of this technology. I was so thrilled by AGD Productions… Read the Review »

We’ve been pretty psyched here at Future Audiophile about Amped America’s presence on the audiophile astral plain. What’s not to love? The company’s affordable Class D amplifiers like the AMP 2400 utilize the same core technologies as amplifiers costing six times… Read the Review »

While Pass Labs bares founder and chief designer Nelson Pass’ name, his business partner, Wayne Colburn, is responsible for the company’s elaborate line-level preamplifier designs. First, let’s clarify the terminology: this type of component is often called an audiophile stereo … Read the Review »

The Topping A90 Discrete ($599 buy at Amazon), while marketed principally as a headphone amplifier, ranks as one of the most ideal analog preamplifiers I’ve used. A couple of months back, I reviewed Topping’s Pre90 analog preamp. The A90 Discrete… Read the Review »

Some folks prefer a tube-based preamplifier in their audio system while others prefer a solid-state preamplifier. By tube-based, I mean an audiophile preamplifier which uses a vacuum tube as its principal gain device. In contrast, a passive preamplifier attenuates the… Read the Review »

Parasound has been offering high-value audiophile gear for three generations now,  including many higher-end products designed by legendary consultant John Curl. Today, they offer a broad range of products, including some revered integrated amplifiers, but if you’re looking to move… Read the Review »

Like many of you, I don’t have a perfect listening room, so having room correction built into a preamplifier can be a game changer. The Anthem STR preamplifier (buy at Crutchfield) has Anthem’s ARC GENESIS room correction, bass management for… Read the Review »

Given that many of today’s audiophile DACs, phono stages, and even many modern audiophile amplifiers have their own internal volume controls, it may not be clear why you would ever want to integrate a preamplifier into your modern audiophile music… Read the Review »

I was introduced to Trinnov more than a decade ago when the company’s Room Optimizer was demonstrated to me through a Sherwood R-972 receiver. Now, more than a decade and hundreds of product demonstrations later, I am still very impressed… Read the Review »

Mark Levinson is a name synonymous with high-end luxury audio components for your home, as well as upmarket Lexus automobiles. The company’s long history dates back to 1972, when they released the first ultra-high-performance preamplifier, the JC-1. Since then, Mark… Read the Review »

Every audio system has a preamplifier somewhere in the signal chain. In an all-digital system, the digital audio converter often includes a volume control, which is in essence a single-source preamplifier. In analog systems, the preamplifier is usually a freestanding… Read the Review »

The T+A P 3100 HV audiophile preamp is part of a family of components made by a manufacturer that’s something of a powerhouse in Europe, but only recently committed to increasing their footprint in the highly competitive U.S. market. And… Read the Review »

Those who know Schiit Audio tend to love them. Putting aside a design legacy that dates back many decades, no audiophile company has a better sense of humor. From outright goofy product names to funny ads to uniquely crafted, very-high-value… Read the Review »