Audio Innovations L2 valve preamp

Just picked up one of these to try out at home. First impressions are favourable. I've got an EAR 834L and Croft Vitale SC (Ditton, let me know when you want this back!) in at the moment, as well as my trusty ATC CA2, and so far the Audio Innovations seems like it might be the best - will need some more time and experimentation to know for sure, and I intend to write a full write-up when I've come to some conclusions...

Anyway, what are the thoughts on this pre? I've seen people quoting 2nd hand prices of anywhere from 200-400 quid - this seems rather low. The dealer I've got this on lone from is wanting 600 for it.

Cheers,

Dunc

 

Hi Dunkyboy,

The Audio Innovation is a Pre worth looking at. These can be found for under £400. I have seen a number of these on ebay going for less than £300. £600 seems a bit steep. They stop making these in the mid to late 90s.

They can be tweaked to good effect.


SCIDB

 

yes, I used to own one of these too.

I bought mine about 4 years ago for around £400. £600 does seem like a lot.

Its silly-good for the money IMHO.. but thats Audio Innovations for you.

 

Cheers guys. Maybe I'll be able to haggle him down... Alternatively, if anyone sees one come up for 400 quid or less somewhere, PM/email me ASAP!!

Really liking how it sounds. The Croft is a bit too laid-back in the highs and woolly in the lower register (though it sounds very refined and natural with classical music and the like). The EAR is a bit "uptight" - the upper mids and treble seem to be somewhat emphasized and it never really seems to relax and "breathe" when the music requires it to. It is very clear and dynamic and tight in the bass and is really lively with lively music, so great fun to listen to but never quite sounds convincing and it gets a bit tiring after a while. I've heard EAR described as the Naim of valves this description seems to fit rather well.

By comparison the ATC sounds very clear and clean and neutral, but also a bit restrained in the mids and positively rolled-off in the bass (at least compared to the valve boys). It also sounds a bit flat and hazy in the upper frequencies.

The Audio Innovations on the other hand has a lovely balance - very balanced in fact! Not too laid-back, not too lively - just right! It's a really great combination of easy-to-listen to and involving that very few bits of hifi seem to nail. It's possibly just slightly bright for my tastes, but it doesn't seem like a deal-breaker. In any case it makes the sound really come to life - vocals especially, and rhythmic, percussive elements come across almost as well as with the EAR but without the overemphasis or tendency to get tiring over time. It's also got very big, very deep, very tuneful and textured bass - much more so than the ATC. I suspect it may not be entirely accurate/neutral, but it sounds great and my [infinite baffle] ATC speakers are quite far out from the wall so they could use a bit of a boost down there.

So yeah, I think I like it. One factor that seems to affect all of the valve pres to some degree is a tendency to sound unconvincing at high volumes, at least compared to the ATC pre. I'm not certain, and it'll take some more experimenting (particularly with the L2, which I've only had a day) but it seems as if the frequency response has been tweaked to sound good at low- to mid-level volumes, but which causes them to sound "wrong" at more realistic levels. The ATC sounds great when driven loud and not so good at lower volumes. It kinda suggests the valve pres have a bit of a "loudness" curve in their frequency response... Could be my imagination and like I say I'll take some time to decide for sure.

In any case, all four pres are excellent in terms of sheer sound quality. It seems like it's really just down to personal preference and system synergy which one you go for. I'd say the ATC has the edge in sheer clarity and cleanliness - the others all sound a little "rough around the edges" by comparison. But then it's cleanly beaten by all the valves in sweetness and smoothness of treble and mids (perhaps not surprisingly...) The EAR and Audio Innovations also definitely have the edge over the other two in punchiness/liveliness/drive/groove, whatever you want to call that! Makes them a blast to listen to.

It's also quite surprising how different they sound to each other. You wouldn't think a preamp would make that much difference, but it really does - perhaps more than any other component bar speakers (and record decks...)

Oh, and it's also worth mentioning that I've been doing all of my listening using my CD player as my record deck has been in the shop for servicing for the past two bloody weeks. From what I hear the EAR and Croft both have excellent phono stages, so that may end up being a factor in the final decision, but I won't know till I get my deck back which could be a week or more... sniff....

Dunc

 

PS - a remark on build quality. The ACT, EAR, and Audio Innovations pres are all beautifully built - very solid and sturdy and of the look-like-they'd-last-a-lifetime breed. The Croft does not. It is very cheap and tacky by comparison. The knobs are plasticky and unsatisfying, the power switch is a flimsy little toggle switch, the power light looks very cheap, the labels in the back are hideously cheap-n-nasty decals... All in all, a very poor show. On the other hand, it suggests that all the budget went into the innards, which is definitely a good thing. But if cosmetics matter, you really won't like the Croft! Also, the dual volume knobs idea is extremely retarded... It's inconvenient enough not having remote control (a problem for all the valves), but dual knobs is just infuriating!

So from cosmetic and usability standpoints, the Croft loses out bigtime. Just thought I'd mention that!

That said, I was mildly surprised to note that the case of the Croft is by far the "deadest" when you rap it with your knuckles. The other three all emit a clear, ringing tone, the Croft just a dead "thunk". With valves in the picture (incontovertibly microphonic, from what I understand?) this can only be a good thing!

Also, I was surprised to note that the ATC actually runs warmer than the Croft and EAR, despite being solid state! It is Class A, so that probably explains it, but still! The Audio Innovations is by far the hottest though (it has five valves in it!)

Dunc

 

Oh, and the Audio Innovations is feckin' hooge! It won't fit in my equipment rack (doesn't even come close to fitting actually!) The EAR and ATC are lovely little mini-size boxes. The Croft is pretty hooge too, though it just fits.

Dunc

[Edit: Just measured it - 50cm across!! Whose idea was that??]

 

personally, I thought the ear the best of the lot, I ahve had most of these too.
price is very steep.
the psu can oscillate a bit and be a bit noisy with those oa2 regs, they really need work in bypassing with a cap.

you can remove all the psu valves, and leave it with a regular supply as well, to see the difference.

I would'nt mind trying an atc pre....not as good then...hmmmm

 

dunk, how about investigating fitting a motorised volume control?

Shouldnt be too hard on the Ear or A.I?

www.hificollective.co.uk they stock them, and can advise what the fitting would be like.

I havent fitted one - so this is guess work - but Im presuming you could then get them to work with a remote control.

 

Well, the one on eBay ended up going for 430 quid plus 20 quid postage! Must say I'm envious of anyone getting one for 300 quid........

Looks like the dealer will go down to 475 if I trade in my EAR and ATC (which I was planning on doing). Not too bad. Awfully tempted. Got till tomorrow to decide... Advice..? I'm happy paying a certain premium for the extra peace of mind that comes from buying from a reputable local dealer (who I know rather well) - not to mention the fact that he's let me home dem it for nigh on 10 days now..!

(Can you see me talking myself into it? )

Dunc

 

dunk if you go for it I'd reccomend selling your old kit on e-bay. You'll get better than a trade in price (normally).

sounds obvious, but well worth it

NB It was an L1 I had in retrospect that I got for £250.

 

I like the plan but I can only get him down to 475 if I trade in the EAR and ATC (so he can make a bit of profit). I'm also a big lazy convenience junkie so handing in a couple boxes to the dealer rather than messing with eBay, eBay punters, couriers, etc etc is much more my bag. I'll just try not to think about the extra cash I'd have made doing the eBay thang.....

Dunc