"ScottW" wrote in message
ups.com...

Schizoid Man wrote:
Hi all,

I'm looking for a sub-$500 pre-owned pre-amp. Phono section not
required. The sources will be Aux1 (TV), Aux2 (DVD) and primarily CD.
Can anyone recommend some makes/models?

Given my budget, or lack thereof, I'm starting out with the usual
suspects - Adcom, Rotel, NAD.

I've got a C-70 which is very functional IMO. I think this will serve
you well. I switched to a passive attenuator for my line level sources
and am hard pressed to tell a difference.

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....ran&1138482535

Don't let the Yamaha haters give you any crap. The C- series is well
designed and very reliable.

I use a couple. It's a great preamp if you know how to solder, but there are
two considerations:
1. The circuit boards are single sided epoxy paper. The solder connections
holding the relays on the board develop cracks from the vibration of the
relay action. The units can always be repaired by resolding them, but this
is a definite design weakness. On the plus side, these preamps actually have
a balanced output, supplying both normal and inverted phase. The output
impedance is the lowest I've ever seen, around 15 ohms.
2. The analog power supply is cooled via vents on the top of the cabinet.
This area of the preamp runs extremely hot. These vents must not be obscured
by stacking, or very expensive repairs will be required. Even so, the board
tends to brown in this area.

Great line drivers, great sound. Just those little problems.