I am considering purchasing a preamp.  I currently have the Torii MK3, Zu Omen Def 1B version, squeezebox classic for digital and Music Hall MMF5.1 turntable.  

I actually was considering selling my Omen Def's and upgrading to the new Omen Def MK2 with Radian 850 tweeter.  I felt the sound may be different and a bit better???, but I would be better served to invest my money in a preamp.  Actually the Omen Def that I have sound great. Eventually I am going to upgrade to a different digital system.  Sony has the HAP-Z1ES and Auralic has the Aries, but I want to wait until more systems become available.

I am interested in the Decware, yet I would rather have a white CSP2+ to match my white Torii MK3.  Though they are no longer available to purchase new and used are very tough to get.  So what preamps do you use that have added weight and dimensionality to your system?  Overall improved the sound of your system.

Thanks

I am now considering the CSP3, yet I have not ordered it because I am still looking for some feedback.  For those that use a CSP with the Torii MK model amps, here are my Q's.

Can the CSP3 actually improve upon the sound of a recording/music?  
Can it actually add weight to the music?
Overall, will there be a noticeable improvement or just an incremental difference?  

From the statement, "The CSP3 is a tube preamplifier that does two things:  It makes your DAC sound better - like twice as good - and it makes your amplifier sound better - a lot better."  I should have ordered it when I got my Torii MK3.  

Thanks

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I initially purchased a Zen (2 watts) some 15 years ago and paired it with Klipsch RF-7's (102db) which I still use today. After a year or so I did purchase a CSP+ production pre-amp primarily in an attempt to add weight. It did add some Weight on the Bottom but I have to say the improvement was incremental.

So the CSP did add some weight on the bottom and some added resolution on the top end. Cymbals for instance become a bit more prominent. Again somewhat incremental. One thing I found was that the CSP was sensitive to the type of interconnects used. The wrong interconnects would actually degrade overall performance.

A few years ago I added an HSU Mid Bass Module to my system connected via speaker level connections. This added a great deal of Weight to the bottom end and integrates seamlessly in my system. Since the MBM has it's own amplifier you simply dial in the amount of bottom end you want based on your room and listening taste.

I should mention I listen primarily to Blues, Blues Rock & Rock. I'm currently auditioning a Peachtree Integrated Amplifier with 220 watts. With this amp I get more Bass out of my Speakers compared to the Zen but the Mid Bass Module still adds a lot of detail to the bottom end. My point being, simply throwing more Watts at your speakers does not necessarily add enough Weight to the low end where in your case you are looking for it.

https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1360355711/0

There was talk about a new Preamp from Decware coming out sometime next year.  I'm not sure what timeline you are on, but this would probably be worth waiting for.

I wanted a remote with volume and switching features that also could accomodate 4 inputs  that the CSP could not provide, so after some expreimenting I settled on a McIntosh C220 preamp that pairs nicely with the Decware Taboo MK II that I have.  I have also heard good feedback that the McIntosh C2300 and C2500 work great with the Torii and ZMA as well.

The Wyred4Sound STP-SE Preamp is also worth mentioning that pairs nicely with Decware.  Higher end preamps like the Aesthetix Calypso also provide an excellent match albiet expensive.

Finally I've heard really good things about Audio By Van Alstine and Croft Acoustics Micro 25R (UK brand).

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In general, I feel the same way. The better my source gets (PS Audio DirectStream DAC currently), the more I want that transparency...the more transparency I have, the more I get *into* the music.

Hey RJR.

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Yes, yes and yes. Potential complications come in when you are starting with a very revealing system/room. And then there is the fact that everything depends on everything else…tubes, source, cables etc. If any one part is lacking, it will bring the whole system to that level. Or if the speakers or room are bright or dark, we avoid changes that accentuate those things.

I was pulling all I could from the MKIII system, and I found the CSP3 with a good power cord, good interconnects and feet really exciting. It changed the sound, but I really liked how it did it, and my system was super revealing relatively speaking.

Then I had Beeswax caps put in the CSP3, and in the meantime got a MKIV, which is more revealing than the MKIII, particularly in micro detail and with the Reconstructive Feedback on. And since I love complex detail, things got complicated for a while because the CSP3 with stock tubes was masking fine detail I had come to expect from the MKIV.

The MKIV (with the very revealing Tranquility DAC, how I had it cabled and tubed, and with its beeswax caps) was improved by the CSP3 with more adjustable weight, dynamics and body, and was nicely open and detailed, but the pre was capping the the micro detail and in turn, the tonal realism...enough to hurt for me. It's everywhere, but shows up a lot in ambient information, airy aspects of instruments and voices, cymbal shimmer, attack and decay, etc. and I did not want to sacrifice any of it. So I started playing around with cables, feet and tubes.

Starting with cables, the best combination for micro detail that I could come up with, the CSP3 was still a mixed bag for me too. Still the complaint was mainly reduced micro detail. But after everything was fully burned in, and finding the right tubes, I got to where there is no discernible loss and several areas of gain, so I definitely prefer the CSP3 in.

That said, the way I have it set up, and with both the MKIV and CSP having jupiter caps, their signatures are similar. Also the MKIV has more complex detail, solid tone, and dynamics than the MKIII, things the CSP does well. So what the CSP offers it is a bit less dramatic with the MKIV, but I still find it quite an asset here. It offers potential for adjusting the dynamics, weight, and body, but the coolest thing about the CSP3 to me is the OTL factor which is hard to explain. It gives a spacious clarity and tonal density at the same time, but the density has no sense of muddiness, the opposite in fact, the OTL clarification across the spectrum. So the density in just a more pronounced expression of tone. Here, these bring another level of lucidity and realism to the presentation.

I got a really good taste of this with more-or-less the stock CSP3 caps and tubes with the MKIII system, really nice…. The MKIV system, having grown more refined and complex tonally, needed more work. Also the difference (both with jupiter caps) with and without pre is less dramatic, but I just A-B'd again, and I am really glad to have the CSP3 in there.