Ray Samuels B-52 As Preamp Only

[Nationals]

Hello. First posting here. I am a very happy owner of a Ray Samuels XR-10B phono stage and I was considering the purchase of a new B-52 preamp/headphone amp. While I am reasonably confident it will work wonders for my HD 650s, my critical concern (because I listen via headphones only approximately 5% of my listening time), is how it would work as a preamp only? I am in the market for a preamp and need for it to have two balanced inputs (for my phono and cd player) and I am wondering how the B 52 would stack up to other top balanced preamps such as those from Ayre, Aesthetix, BAT, and others. Those who have either purchased a B-52 or been able to listen to it as a preamp, what are your reactions to it as a stand alone preamp? Thank you very much.

 

[YZHI]

B-52 the name almost suggests bass heavy to me.

 

[Quint]

Though I use it exclusively as a headamp, I did try it as a preamp when I first got it, and it sounded very, very good. I never compared it with anything else, but FWIW Enjoy the Music recently reviewed it and compared it favorably to the latest iteration of the $17,500 VTL-7.5. As a former 7.5 owner, that’s pretty high praise indeed, I can tell ya.

Welcome to Head-Fi!

 

[dmk005]

My bomber is used as a preamp 33.3% of the time. The rear right match pair of tubes are used for the preamp. I've never had technical issues with changing sources or going back out via tape out. My power amp is a Denon 5801 integrated receiver and my speakers are Monitor Audio Gold and Legacy Studio's. There is no "popping" when you switch from headamp mode to preamp mode and it sounds excellent using it's stock Sylvania 6189s (but you obviously can roll your favs in). I hope this helps. My only frustration with the B-52 as a preamp is the lack of a remote control for my lazy butt.

 

[jpelg]

Welcome to Head-Fi!

Sonically, what you are looking for in a preamp depends on your associated gear, and personal preferences. Perhaps if you complete your profile and state what you are looking for a preamp to do for you sonically, others could give more opinions & recommendations.

Feature-wise, a preamp that is used 95% of the time in a speaker setup should have a remote, especially for the kind of $$'s we're talking about here.