what tube preamp DIY kit to match B&W P-5 speakers

[skydog]

what tube preamp DIY kit to match B&W P-5 speakers

I'm new in this field. Can you help me with advice what tube preamp DIY kit to buy so it could match B&W P-5 speakers best.
At the moment I use Sony Ta-FA 50es integrated amplifier with these speakers. From what I read and my own experience I think I don't use all the speakers can produce.
It's recommended to use good tube preamp, but it's pretty costly.
I plan to build tube preamp from a DIY kit (which one ??), as power I want to use the existing one - Sony 50es. Music I listen - jazz, rock, classics, etc.

So the system: source(CD or sky TV..) + tube preamp(?????) +
integrated Sony 50es (as power amp) + B&W P-5 speakers.

Any ideas please ?

Thank you

 

[ErikdeBest]

Looking around

Hi Skydog,

I´m just a new member, like you. But I have already seen lots of threats asking for "which is the amp/preamp for me?". Although people at this forum are always wanting to help, they may get tired of answering always the same, pretty personal taste related, question.

An other thing: Most of the times the following posts don´t give answers, just more questions, like: How much gain do you need? Do you want to go passive, active, gain, buffer, trafo output. People will suggest designs based on at least 10 different tubes.

My suggestion is finding out how much gain you need from the preamp. Then search this forum for DIY kits, look for published schematics and people´s commentaries about it.

Good luck,

Erik

 

[ultrachrome]

Do a search on Rosenblit's Grounded Grid. Maybe more info at audioasylum.com.

I built a Bottlehead Foreplay but in stock config the gain is too much for my amp which makes the volume control very sensitive. I'm planning on building a grounded grid next.

If you search the forums you'll find lots of preamp designs but I had a hard time finding a complete design that others were able to duplicate without some issues. But then again I wasn't exactly planning on building a preamp then so I wasn't looking really hard.

 

[Mike C]

Preamp Kit

You are likely to get several different responses and all will be valid.
No one person has heard them all, so it's hard to give a direct comparison.
I have some suggestions about things to look for.

Avoid a kit using a PCB; you will learn very little from soldering bits into place on a PCB. Also it will be harder to match the wiring up to the circuit diagram to learn how the circuit works.

Go for valve rectifier if possible, so as to learn how to wire them up.

If you progress on to your own DIY units built from circuit diagrams, you will need the above knowledge. The right kit is the best possible learning experience.

One to consider is the Basie by diyhifisupply. Valve rectified, hard wired. Good instructions. Good parts quality. Easy to upgrade. Good sound quality, though a decent DIY effort will beat it comfortably. Good value, in my opinion.
But there are many others.

 

[skydog]

Thank you for help. But I'm not that competent in understanding schemes, etc. Though I can assamble provided diy kit without really understanding how it really works, unfortunately.
My aim is to get maximum possible in sound from my B&W P-5 speakers with the Sony 50es (used as power amp). There are suggestions to use ZEN SE84C or Krell or ÑJ preamps - but this is a bit expensive solution for me.

Is there anything close to mentioned preamps among diy kits? The preamp is needed that can easily handle P-5.

Or is there smb's experience with tube +P-5?

Thank you again