Audio mirror PP1

[cbl117]

ok this should be the last thread I start...promise:rolleyes:

I'm about to pull the trigger on a audio mirror pp-1 on the Agon. I haven't had the chance to hear it in person. I know russman sold one on here a few months back...stating it was a nice pre. Can anyone tell me a little about it? I've searched online and here, there isn't much info. Audiomirror's website it down for construction. TUBES TUBES TUBES!!!:eek:

[george daniel]

It has received some pretty good reviews.I never listened to one though. Some of the folks on AC give it a good rating. Good luck.

[cbl117]

I pulled the trigger! now to get my roll on...

[zombie boy 2000]

That's funny... I almost jumped on it myself. Let me know what you think once you have some time with it.

[dudeinaroom]

why don't you pm Russ and get his opinion on it.

[cbl117]

why don't you pm Russ and get his opinion on it.

I did...

From the man himself...and I quote...

"It's a great preamp, especially for that amount."

[cbl117]

Alright guys time for the mini review of the audio mirror PP1...

Old System:
Polk LSi15s
Parasound A23
HK AVR630
Rotel 1072
Monster speaker cable
AQ sidewinders

The new system is in my sig.

I'm going to let my thoughts just flow, so if it sounds like i'm rambling...sorry.;)

The biggest improvement I notice is the soundstage is 3 dimensional. The soundstage is very wide...extending about 3 feet on either side of the speakers. I used to be able to point at where the vocals were coming from, but now the vocals sound as if the person is right in front of me. That might sound clishe, but I think the amount of detail on the reverberations is what causes that effect.
The midrange smoothed out a bit. Norah jones doesn't sound as harsh. The low end is very tight and not too overly pronounced. Jack johnson used to be unbearable with all the bass, but now the low end is under control and the vocals are more up front.
The instruments seem to have their own spot in the mix now. You can pick out every instrument and each one is clear and crisp.

[Dennis Gardner]

Congrats on the PP-1!

I got the model that Luther started with and Russ sold awhile back and use it daily in my 2 channel rig. It is really a nice unit with lots of potential for some tweaks. I found that if you want to roll tubes in different stages of the preamp, some will sound great while those with more gain will induce more noise into the signal than others. I have always liked the JJ Tesla 12AX7s, but they don't work well at all in the final preamp stage in my PP-1. They are way too hot, while I like them in the first stage alot. Finding the right mix can take some time with 7 tubes. On a bright note, the phono stage in this unit is as nice as I have come acrossed at any pricepoint and rivals the Modwright 9 as a phono rig. Tons of flexibility with the vast dip switch settings to get it just right with my vinyl rig.

I contacted Vlad at Audio Mirror about upgrades and he was very happy to do anything I wanted and was reasonable in pricing for extra outputs and a HT bypass along with changing the remote to work better with these options.

Great preamp for the $$$ and stopped my jonesing so badly for the Modwright.

Cheers,

[cbl117]

Hey dennis thanks for the reply. I've been wanting to do some tube rolling now that I've gotten familiar with the stock sound. Can you recommend any tubes to try out? I'd like to try different tubes in the power supply as well.

[Dennis Gardner]

I am currently running JJ Tesla in the first 12AX7 stage, Telefunkens in the finals and a JAN Phillips 12AT7. I like the sound of Ei in both stages and have found Dynacos, EH, and Sovtek LPS to all be too smooth/warm for my taste in this preamp.

Alot of my gear tends to be on the warm side of the spectrum as I run a Marantz 8260 CD/SACD front end with my Odyssey Stratos amp, into ADS L1230 towers. Anything that softens the sound too much just comes out as mush. I seem to look for clarity out of my tube selection in the preamp and I am sure that my choices are far different than others with different gear, but I really like what I have heard so far. This preamp isn't going anywhere soon.

[Wardsweb]

Dennis, Vlad starts with LiteAudio boards and modifies them. If you're going to have him work on it, you could also have him do the cap upgrade.

You can see some LiteAudio stuff from Ebay sellers: DIY-Gene (http://stores.ebay.com/DIY-Gene) and eAudioGuy (http://stores.ebay.com/eAudioguy-Online-Store). Then there is always the main shop in China - DIYCLUB.biz (http://eshop.diyclub.biz/index.php?language=en)

[cbl117]

:eek:

[cmy330go]

HaHa....

We can see your reflection in the knobs.

Congrats on the new toy. Enjoy!!!!

[engtaz]

Congrats

[cbl117]

HaHa....

We can see your reflection in the knobs.

Congrats on the new toy. Enjoy!!!!

haha,

I think I was wearing only boxers and a t-shirt at the time.:o

[steveinaz]

I like your system! Umm your toenails need some attention.

[cbl117]

Dennis, Do you know what tubes are in the PS of the PP1. I know the rectifier is a 6X4 and the voltage regulator is a 12b4, but what is the third tube used for voltage reference?

[RuSsMaN]

Follow up to our pm's - I wouldn't sweat the PS too much, it's not in the signal path, and if they (the tubes) are up to spec and doing their job, roll on the front end and leave well enough alone.

I just put NOS JAN in there, because I had them.

Cheers,
Russ

[cbl117]

Sounds like a plan russ. Thanks for the follow up. If you happen to have a quad of NOS 12ax7s laying around, I'll be happy to lighten your load.:D