mcgyver74 wrote:Ah darn
How does the PAS3 compare to the SP14 for sound quality? (Guess this is a Bob question
)
It is, certainly! I have not experienced the SP14, so I will not render an opinion, other than expecting it to be as good as its siblings, or better.
With that in mind, I run and have run many pre-amps over the decades, tube and solid state. In ranking for audibility and general pleasantness in use, they are (with a car analogy at each one):
Revox A720: Pluses: More controls than a Boeing 787. Super rich sound, includes excellent FM tuner with a Nixie tube display. Excellent phono-pre-amp, Adjustable inputs for matching output levels when switching components. Two headphone jacks. Minuses: More controls than a Boeing 787. A Mercedes 600 S-Class with an indefinite warranty and free fuel.
HK Citation 17: Pluses: Defeatable on-board equalization. Excellent phono pre-amp. Intuitive controls. Minuses: Does not drive headphones. Require amp input through a special plug for this function. Power-supply can be touchy and should be rebuilt. Solid Mercedes 300 TDT with an indefinite warranty.
Dynaco PAS 3x: Very mellow sound. X-mod has center-null tone controls. Includes NAB, Phono and High-level phono inputs. The phono section is not half-bad. Includes simulcast input (meaning an extra spare) Puts out up to 13V - the most of my pre-amps. Minuse: Scarce in the X-mod version. Will not drive headphones at all. Requires a few basic mods to be 'safe and effective' - the first being the selenium stack. If turned up overly, it will overload amps. A Jaguar 4-door XJ - when working, nothing like it. I have modified mine to a state of excellent reliability and addressed a few of the shortcomings - so a smoothly running XJ.
Dynaco PAT-5 biFet: Very similar to the Citation 17 in advantages and features, without the on-board equalization. But it does have an EPL in/out (defeatable). Additional Minus: Must remain plugged in at all times due to quiescent circuitry to prevent turn-on thumps (massive if modified for cold-starts). A VW Passat in fine condition. Does many things very, very well, but nothing acutely special.
Scott LC21: Altogether unremarkable. It stayed in the inventory less than six months. A 1968 VW beetle - gets you there, reliably.
Dynaco PAS-2: A weaker sister to the PAS-3X. There is, in my opinion, a significant difference. As the cost difference is not huge, hold out for the 3X. A 1967 VW beetle - gets you there, reliably, but still has the solid rear axle
s. (NOTE: Thanks to another member, correction that the VW Type I/III up to 1967 had solid half-axles.)
Dynaco PAT-4: A strange little solid-state pre-amp. Advantages: Drives headphones from on-board amp. Accepts NAB, Microphone, High and Low level phono. Separate center-null tone controls for each channel. Plenty of inputs and outputs. Minuses: cheapest controls possible. Marginal power-supply, but easily rebuilt. Best short description: Could do much worse. Sort of like a Jeep Cherokee, but a better ride. Does many things well, few things perfectly. An excellent match to early solid-state amps.
Hope this helps. These are all items I have experienced directly, and in several iterations, so my impression is not limited to a single example.
Last edited by Peter W. on Wed Apr 19, 2017 1:52 pm; edited 1 time in total
My gf is pretty awesome like that.
