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

Robert Morein wrote:
"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.

I've never seen a solder joint fail due to relay vibration. I suspect
thermal cycling is a far more likely cause. My unit has no
detectable heat output so I wonder if you may have a problem in your
power supply... a leaky cap perhaps.

Scott, I have two C-70's in service right now. The ps sections of both run
hot as hell, and perfectly in every other regard. A leaky cap would have
blown already, or had some other symptom. I also have a C-80, which runs
much cooler. This unit has no relays, just cable control of remote switches.


I did have one of the main output connectors cracked a solder joint but
I attribute that to the use of monster interconnects which were grossly
too tight. I touched the joints with my iron and haven't had problem
since.

I will never understand why some people think soldering requires
skill... its just too easy.

We don't know if Schizoid Man is into that. There's no point in giving him a
problem down the line he can't handle.

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.

As I said... for $150 with a decent phono stage I think he'd be hard
pressed to find a better deal.

They're not for everybody, Scott.