Who Makes A Good 19" Rack Preamp

[JCW]

I just acquired some nice Bose 901 series 4s with the Bose pre-amp and I need to find a good 19" rack preamp to use with them. The newer receivers do not have a tape monitor loop like the older receivers so there is no way to get the Bose preamp in line without separate components. I have a nice 19" rackmount Crest Audio power amp and I am wondering who makes a good affordable 19" preamp. I am interested in 2 channel only (plus a sub). I tried the 5.1 and it sucked. Any suggestions on what to look for?

Thanks,
John

 

[highfigh]

I just acquired some nice Bose 901 series 4s with the Bose pre-amp and I need to find a good 19" rack preamp to use with them. The newer receivers do not have a tape monitor loop like the older receivers so there is no way to get the Bose preamp in line without separate components. I have a nice 19" rackmount Crest Audio power amp and I am wondering who makes a good affordable 19" preamp. I am interested in 2 channel only (plus a sub). I tried the 5.1 and it sucked. Any suggestions on what to look for?

Thanks,
John

Why not just buy what you like, put it on a rack shelf and get a custom rack panel? That way, you aren't locked into only rack mount equipment.

 

[MidnightSensi]

Like highfigh said you can just get whatever you prefer and then get a shelf and faceplate cut. I generally recommend Middle Atlantic (http://www.middleatlantic.com/)

 

[JCW]

Thanks guys! I probably will do just that, especially as it doesn't look like there is very much out there in the 19" rack mount preamp family. I'm still hoping a nice old Crown IC150 or SAE or something like that will show up. If not, I will probably get a new Rotel or something like that and fabricate a rack panel so I can put it all in a nice walnut rack case. I guess I'm looking for the look I had in the 70s when all of this good stuff came out.

Thanks again

 

[BMXTRIX]

It's more and more difficult to find anything that doesn't OFFER surround sound, but just because it's more than you need doesn't mean that it doesn't also deliver exactly what you need for two channel audio...

http://www.d-mpro.com/users/folder.asp?FolderID=4214&CatID=17&SubCatID=165

The DN-A7100 is a nifty model which is a surround pre-amp but includes balanced audio input/outputs with a rack design from the start. Stereo is obviously just part of what it does.

If this doesn't work, then your best luck would be to go with some other 'pro' product, or to find something you like and get a Middle Atlantic rack shelf for it.

 

[JCW]

BMXTRIX,

Thanks for sharing the info. This just may be my ticket. Sure I want it to sound good, but I want it to look good as well and this unit looks like it covers both concerns. If something nice does not show up within a few days, I'll probably order one of these.

Thanks again,
John

 

[highfigh]

Thanks guys! I probably will do just that, especially as it doesn't look like there is very much out there in the 19" rack mount preamp family. I'm still hoping a nice old Crown IC150 or SAE or something like that will show up. If not, I will probably get a new Rotel or something like that and fabricate a rack panel so I can put it all in a nice walnut rack case. I guess I'm looking for the look I had in the 70s when all of this good stuff came out.

Thanks again

Personally, I would pass on an old Crown. Having listened to many of their pieces, it never struck me as being as "HiFi" as the better consumer equipment. Definitely not as smooth sounding, that's for sure.

Unless you have the tools, materials and skills, I would recommend buying a custom panel from Middle Atlantic. They already have the templates for most brands and models.

 

[highfigh]

It's more and more difficult to find anything that doesn't OFFER surround sound, but just because it's more than you need doesn't mean that it doesn't also deliver exactly what you need for two channel audio...

http://www.d-mpro.com/users/folder.asp?FolderID=4214&CatID=17&SubCatID=165

The DN-A7100 is a nifty model which is a surround pre-amp but includes balanced audio input/outputs with a rack design from the start. Stereo is obviously just part of what it does.

If this doesn't work, then your best luck would be to go with some other 'pro' product, or to find something you like and get a Middle Atlantic rack shelf for it.

Thanks for posting this piece- I had forgotten about it. Hopefully, they'll update it to do HDMI1.3.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Thanks for posting this piece- I had forgotten about it. Hopefully, they'll update it to do HDMI1.3.

I asked them about it about half a year ago and they said that they currently do not have plans to do so. Of course, I would expect that they will run out of 1.1 HDMI components at some point.

Frankly, I think if it had 4 HDMI 1.3b inputs on it I would buy it in a second. They have kept the cost reasonable and the balanced outputs are a really nice feature for the price you pay.