Perreaux SM2 preamp - any opinion?

[62vauxhall]

I went for a drive this morning to look at the Perreaux SM2. The first thing I did was rotate the volume control and it was stepped so I declined to buy it. That's the only thing about the Lee rebuilt PS 3300 II I don't care for so I wouldn't gain (no pun intended) anything. The 3300 sounds very good and there's probably a way to dick with the output levels of the sources I use to lower them so the 3300's volume control has more travel before things get too loud. And, next Sunday Is Innovative Audio's garage sale. Maybe I'll find something cheap amongst the piles that spins my crank.

 

[BubbaH]

Cant stand stepped/notched volume pots.

 

[laatsch55]

When they also come with a -15db, -30db switch it's bearable......ala the Spec 1....

 

[BubbaH]

I'm sure I had mentioned it before, but my cousin had a Spec. A side by side with a 4401 wasnt much of a contest. Always loved the looks of the spec gear though. Had even considered tracking myself down a spec setup at one point, long time ago.

 

[laatsch55]

My Spec 1 and Spec 2's took a little work, but they are still good performers...and the boys on AK are trying to figure out how to correct the phase lag/lead problem on the Spec 1...

 

[Gepetto]

My Spec 1 and Spec 2's took a little work, but they are still good performers...and the boys on AK are trying to figure out how to correct the phase lag/lead problem on the Spec 1...

In a preamp???

 

[62vauxhall]

When they also come with a -15db, -30db switch it's bearable......ala the Spec 1....

I had a Kenwood Ultimate Series Model 600 from 1978 until 2008 and it had a stepped volume control with a 2 position attenuator which I believe were -15 and -30 and it worked well. When I lived in houses, it was always off but after moving to this condo - in one position or another.

Had a Cerwin Vega PR1 for a while with a 20dB attenuator. That thing was a beast and probably meant for clubs. The 0dB and -20dB switch positions could be re-labeled "Tear Your Face Off Loud" and "Thin & Anemic". There were also a pair of -10dB outputs on the back but didn't help much - I really could not sense any difference. 0dB now -10dB was still too loud and -20dB now -30 was even more thin & anemic. Not sure why, but using that switch sucked the pre's balls up and cranking the volume didn't seem to make them drop any. Took over a year to flog but I was glad to get rid of it.

 

[laatsch55]

In a preamp???

Yes Joe, there is talk of how the volume pot is wired before/after the buffer amp. The phase lead on 20 hz is 27 deg, the phase lag at 20K is over 95 deg. They think the factory wired the volume pot wrong...I can send some schematics...it seems that something went very wrong, Piuoneer was a better company than that, and the reallly bad thing is that it's worse when the volume pot is roatated to the left.....way worse...

 

[Gepetto]

Yes Joe, there is talk of how the volume pot is wired before/after the buffer amp. The phase lead on 20 hz is 27 deg, the phase lag at 20K is over 95 deg. They think the factory wired the volume pot wrong...I can send some schematics...it seems that something went very wrong, Piuoneer was a better company than that, and the reallly bad thing is that it's worse when the volume pot is roatated to the left.....way worse...

Preamps are supposed to be DC to daylight...not like that.

 

[laatsch55]

Yep, which leads me to believe that somehow a bunch of Spec 1's got out the door in this compromised condition. The reason I tested my Spec 1 was to back up some other testing done by some other folks there.

 

[laatsch55]

Here is the pertinent thread......http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=652054

 

[Northwinds]

I like stepped volume controls but then again, I have no issues with LOUD. I think they are better quality but I know what you mean about volume increase... it might not be welcome with some households. My SA3 does not tend to jump in volume greatly at each step and actually seems to be perceived less the higher you go (if that makes sense). Maybe the way it's wired in keeps it from logarithmically going off the scale the higher you go? I wish I understood this stuff better

 

[laatsch55]

Reverse logrithmic?? As in linear??

 

[62vauxhall]

I understand that stepped controls, at least proper ones, are supposed to be superior and I was tempted to buy the Perreaux on the chance that it's "steps" were subtle. But since it turned out the seller was a flipper with a warehouse of stuff (that's where I met him), I did not want to get into a "you bought it, you own it" situation in case it didn't work for me.

An APT Holman has been high on my desirable list and I came across an ad for one about the same price as the Perreaux. I did a little investigating and was disappointed to learn that it too had stepped volume.

 

[Northwinds]

Reverse logrithmic?? As in linear??

Linear taper sounds right but it has click spots. Not like those crazy pots with all the resistors all over them though

 

[laatsch55]

The resistor stacked pots are what's called stepped. Pots like the Spec 1 has are detented...

 

[BlazeES]

Not to derail but ...

Stepped attenuators on audio gear PISS - ME - F F - !

 

[Gepetto]

Not to derail but ...

Stepped attenuators on audio gear PISS - ME - F F - !

This is pretty "on-topic" for this group Tony

 

[El Magnifico]

In 1985, Perreaux was introducing their gear in the US through Signet distributors and then Singer after a while. My first High End gear were Perreaux: PMF 1150B and the SM-2. Their Amps were impossible to kill, even after long years of use and I have had some, including the big 3150. The problem at that time with their pre's were exactly their best sounding part: phono stage. Mine broke down 3 times in 2 years and it was always the same problem: capacitors in the ph circuit! The sound was excellent, but it wasn't reliable. I don't know if they corrected it afterwards.