Tuberoller
Divorced an Orpheus to keep his wife.
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2001
- Posts
- 4,941
- Likes
- 15
It's easy when reviewing audio gear to directly or indirectly say or imply negative things about the review subject.Displeasure can be stated by simply saying "It sucks", "It sounded aweful" or more tastefully, " I just didn't like it".The ease with which the hard work of a gifted audio designer can be casually dismissed has to be disheartening to every builder who submits gear for review.It is much more difficult to accurately express a pleasant audio experience in terms that convey the full extent of enjoyment or satisfaction.It's very east to run out superlatives and be forced to use terms that confuse review readers and do little to shed light on the reviewer's experiences.In stark contrast,I found it easy to bestow accolades on the Meier Audio Prehead and never had any trouble finding the words to express how much I liked it.From the very first listen I was greatly impressed and my time with the Prehead never left me in doubt that I was listening to one of the best.
Sources:
Philips DVD963SA
Musical Fidelity Trivista SACD Player
Musical Fidelity A324 DAC
VPI Extended Aries Table with JMW 12.5 arm,Sumiko Blackbird Cartridge.
Ray Samuels Audio XR2 phono amp
Phones:
HD600/Equinox
Grado RS1
Grado RS80
Beyer DT880
Beyer DT931
Sony CD3000 (thanks Mike-J,Chicago Sony Rep)
Comparison amps:
Headroom Max/Stepped Atenuator
Ray Samuels Audio HR2
Ray Samuels Audio prototype battery-portable amp
Meier Audio HA-2
Meier Audio HA-1 MKII
Singlepower Supra
Singlepower MPX3
Singlepower PPX3
Gilmore V2
Headroom Cosmic w Reference module
Wheatfield HA-2
Cables;
Acoustic Zen WOW! 1 meter IC
Meier Audio Grounded .5 meter IC
DiMarzio M-Path 1 meter IC
Audioquest Diamondback 1 meter IC
Quail 12/3 6 foot hospital-grade power cord
DIY Cable Digital cable
I listened to a wide variety of music,concentrating my listening critically over a period of two weeks when I had many of the comparison amps on hand at the same time.
My first impressions of the Prehead are of a very high build quality.Knobs,switches and jacks are the best available as is typical with all Meier Audio products.The look and feel of the Prehead make the promise of outstanding performance.This level of detail is easily taken for granted at the high end but is not always the case with some other amps.The four input jacks are a great bonus and are very easy to become accustomed to.You'll really miss those extra input jacks when switching to amps that lack them,I did.I still hate those goofy,stick-on feet,which I have previously bashed.They must go.The LED seems a bit too recessed in the front panel and is a difficult to see off-axis in a bright room.Although larger than the HA-2 and HA-1 MKII the solid aluminum chassis of the Prehead is still compact enough to sit on a desk top.
The Prehead is THE amp for cross-feed lovers.The three adjustable levels of cross-feed afford the listener the opportunity to tailor a very realistic soundstage.Dual output jacks offering output impedances of 120 ohms and 0 ohms allow matching of phones with various impedances and sensitivity.
The Prehead is an amp that never gave me the impression that it was working hard.It drove every phone from every source with an equal sense of ease and finesse.The term "effortless" comes to mind.From the very first listen the Prehead displayed the performance and confidence of a champ.I never had to question if the Prehead was burned-in enough,if I should try a different cable or power cord, or was left wondering if my source was up to par.The best audio gear allows the listener to relax with the knowledge that you may find something different but nothing "better" will come along and spoil your fun.
The greatest strength of the Prehead lies in the stunning detail and resolution.This resolution shines from the lowest bass notes all the way to full extension of the highest frequencies.The sonic improvements promised by the High Res formats are easily and fully resolved by the Prehead.Bass extension and accuarcy are amazing.The lower frequencies are taut and focused while at the same time deep and punchy.You know you are hearing all the bass in your music and it is being reproduced truthfully and with great precision.This is where the great amps excel.I don't think many audio designers fully understand how important tight,focused bass is to low level detail.The Prehead serves up the same great bass at even the lowest volumes.Lower frequency instrument seperation is superb as well.There is no syrup down here to slop things up.
In the all-important midrange the Prehead excels further,producing an expansive and layered soundstage.Depending on the level of cross-feed employed and the headphones used,this percieved soundstage can sound a bit artificial.Some experimentation is needed to find the ideal setting but once found you can relax and enjoy some of the best midrange in the business.Voices are reproduced with an uncanny accuracy and realism without any sweetening of female vocals or forwardness of piano notes.Instrument placement is precise and overall balance throughout the midrange is excellent.This is as good as solid-state midrange gets.I mean that in the best possible way.
Great treble reproduction is a stable of the best solid-state amps and the Prehead is right at the top.The uppermost frequencies of my best high-resolution music were rendered in great detail.The far-reaching extension helps create air and space around voices and instruments.No trace of harshness or grain is present with any music or any of the phones or sources.I really like the poise of the Prehead's upper frequency and enjoyed finding recordings that I know to be harsh sounding.The Prehead is not really a cure-all for for bright recordings and those recordings will still sound harsh and brittle, but the Prehead seems to peel back a layer of grain and make those recordings more listenable without any loss of detail.
If I have compare the HA-1MKII,HA-2 and the Prehead,I say that the Prehead offers obviously superior bass and midrange definition over the HA-2 and HA-1.This helps balance the overall sonics better and greatly enhances the low level detail which the Prehead is best at amongst the three Meier amps.The HA-1 MKII probably offers 75% of the performance or the Prehead in terms of definition and extension.The HA-2 comes closer offering about 90% of the Prehead's performance but lacks the versatility and function of the Prehead.The Prehead is worth every dime if you need the additional inputs and the preamp functionality.
I used the Prehead in it's intended capacity as a preamp for a few weeks and found it to perform this duty very well.It's very "clean" sounding and lacks any grain or backround noise.My only complaint would be that it appears to match best with solid- state amps.It seems to clean things up a bit too much with the ASL Tulip and Opera Monobloc tube amps I tried it with.The Prehead performed in a most stellar fashion with fantastic punch and an amazing soundstage when paired with the PS Audio HCA2 Digital amp.This amp/preamp combo are virtual "soulmates".My Maggie 3.6 loudspeakers disappeared in the room and the music just seemed to float in the air.The Prehead saw extensive duty in that system and the remains the front-runner for preamp choice in my still evolving Maggie based loudspeaker system.
I found in my time with the Prehead that it is an excellent match with the Beyer DT880 phones.I like these phones a lot but have also found them a poor match with some amps.The Prehead never had any problems with any of the phones but seemed to sing best with the Beyers and HD600.
The Meier Audio Prehead leaves little to be desired and gets my vote for most versatile headamp.No other headamp I have heard(maybe the CES Ringer Twinhead) performs as well in so many areas as does the Prehead.No excuses or explanations have to offered for the Prehead,what you see/hear is what you get.
Sources:
Philips DVD963SA
Musical Fidelity Trivista SACD Player
Musical Fidelity A324 DAC
VPI Extended Aries Table with JMW 12.5 arm,Sumiko Blackbird Cartridge.
Ray Samuels Audio XR2 phono amp
Phones:
HD600/Equinox
Grado RS1
Grado RS80
Beyer DT880
Beyer DT931
Sony CD3000 (thanks Mike-J,Chicago Sony Rep)
Comparison amps:
Headroom Max/Stepped Atenuator
Ray Samuels Audio HR2
Ray Samuels Audio prototype battery-portable amp
Meier Audio HA-2
Meier Audio HA-1 MKII
Singlepower Supra
Singlepower MPX3
Singlepower PPX3
Gilmore V2
Headroom Cosmic w Reference module
Wheatfield HA-2
Cables;
Acoustic Zen WOW! 1 meter IC
Meier Audio Grounded .5 meter IC
DiMarzio M-Path 1 meter IC
Audioquest Diamondback 1 meter IC
Quail 12/3 6 foot hospital-grade power cord
DIY Cable Digital cable
I listened to a wide variety of music,concentrating my listening critically over a period of two weeks when I had many of the comparison amps on hand at the same time.
My first impressions of the Prehead are of a very high build quality.Knobs,switches and jacks are the best available as is typical with all Meier Audio products.The look and feel of the Prehead make the promise of outstanding performance.This level of detail is easily taken for granted at the high end but is not always the case with some other amps.The four input jacks are a great bonus and are very easy to become accustomed to.You'll really miss those extra input jacks when switching to amps that lack them,I did.I still hate those goofy,stick-on feet,which I have previously bashed.They must go.The LED seems a bit too recessed in the front panel and is a difficult to see off-axis in a bright room.Although larger than the HA-2 and HA-1 MKII the solid aluminum chassis of the Prehead is still compact enough to sit on a desk top.
The Prehead is THE amp for cross-feed lovers.The three adjustable levels of cross-feed afford the listener the opportunity to tailor a very realistic soundstage.Dual output jacks offering output impedances of 120 ohms and 0 ohms allow matching of phones with various impedances and sensitivity.
The Prehead is an amp that never gave me the impression that it was working hard.It drove every phone from every source with an equal sense of ease and finesse.The term "effortless" comes to mind.From the very first listen the Prehead displayed the performance and confidence of a champ.I never had to question if the Prehead was burned-in enough,if I should try a different cable or power cord, or was left wondering if my source was up to par.The best audio gear allows the listener to relax with the knowledge that you may find something different but nothing "better" will come along and spoil your fun.
The greatest strength of the Prehead lies in the stunning detail and resolution.This resolution shines from the lowest bass notes all the way to full extension of the highest frequencies.The sonic improvements promised by the High Res formats are easily and fully resolved by the Prehead.Bass extension and accuarcy are amazing.The lower frequencies are taut and focused while at the same time deep and punchy.You know you are hearing all the bass in your music and it is being reproduced truthfully and with great precision.This is where the great amps excel.I don't think many audio designers fully understand how important tight,focused bass is to low level detail.The Prehead serves up the same great bass at even the lowest volumes.Lower frequency instrument seperation is superb as well.There is no syrup down here to slop things up.
In the all-important midrange the Prehead excels further,producing an expansive and layered soundstage.Depending on the level of cross-feed employed and the headphones used,this percieved soundstage can sound a bit artificial.Some experimentation is needed to find the ideal setting but once found you can relax and enjoy some of the best midrange in the business.Voices are reproduced with an uncanny accuracy and realism without any sweetening of female vocals or forwardness of piano notes.Instrument placement is precise and overall balance throughout the midrange is excellent.This is as good as solid-state midrange gets.I mean that in the best possible way.
Great treble reproduction is a stable of the best solid-state amps and the Prehead is right at the top.The uppermost frequencies of my best high-resolution music were rendered in great detail.The far-reaching extension helps create air and space around voices and instruments.No trace of harshness or grain is present with any music or any of the phones or sources.I really like the poise of the Prehead's upper frequency and enjoyed finding recordings that I know to be harsh sounding.The Prehead is not really a cure-all for for bright recordings and those recordings will still sound harsh and brittle, but the Prehead seems to peel back a layer of grain and make those recordings more listenable without any loss of detail.
If I have compare the HA-1MKII,HA-2 and the Prehead,I say that the Prehead offers obviously superior bass and midrange definition over the HA-2 and HA-1.This helps balance the overall sonics better and greatly enhances the low level detail which the Prehead is best at amongst the three Meier amps.The HA-1 MKII probably offers 75% of the performance or the Prehead in terms of definition and extension.The HA-2 comes closer offering about 90% of the Prehead's performance but lacks the versatility and function of the Prehead.The Prehead is worth every dime if you need the additional inputs and the preamp functionality.
I used the Prehead in it's intended capacity as a preamp for a few weeks and found it to perform this duty very well.It's very "clean" sounding and lacks any grain or backround noise.My only complaint would be that it appears to match best with solid- state amps.It seems to clean things up a bit too much with the ASL Tulip and Opera Monobloc tube amps I tried it with.The Prehead performed in a most stellar fashion with fantastic punch and an amazing soundstage when paired with the PS Audio HCA2 Digital amp.This amp/preamp combo are virtual "soulmates".My Maggie 3.6 loudspeakers disappeared in the room and the music just seemed to float in the air.The Prehead saw extensive duty in that system and the remains the front-runner for preamp choice in my still evolving Maggie based loudspeaker system.
I found in my time with the Prehead that it is an excellent match with the Beyer DT880 phones.I like these phones a lot but have also found them a poor match with some amps.The Prehead never had any problems with any of the phones but seemed to sing best with the Beyers and HD600.
The Meier Audio Prehead leaves little to be desired and gets my vote for most versatile headamp.No other headamp I have heard(maybe the CES Ringer Twinhead) performs as well in so many areas as does the Prehead.No excuses or explanations have to offered for the Prehead,what you see/hear is what you get.
