EAR 834P phono preamplifier
Go
to original
review at www.stereophile.com
I've
been meaning to review this Tim de Paravicini
design for years. Finally, egged on by readers,
here goes.
Double
your money and more than double your pleasure
with EAR's now venerable but still vital 834P,
a three-tube (12AX7) moving-magnet stage that
also has, for moving-coil use, a pair of step-up
transformers (3–50 ohms) available at
the push of button. The 834P in basic black
will set you back .....; the chrome Deluxe version
costs ..... However, I can't guarantee that
these prices will be current by the time you
read this; the dollar has been plunging of late.
It will be difficult for importers to hold the
line on prices.
You
can run any cartridge you like into the 834P—its
noise level is relatively low, with just a bit
of "tube rush" well below normal signal
level—but get to 0.25mV and you're pushing
your luck. But there was no problem with MM
or high-output MC cartridges, of course. I had
great results with newer low/medium-output cartridges
such as the Lyra Titan and Transfiguration W.
The
834P's sound was absolutely gorgeous in the
midband, with a touch of "golden glow,"
and an overall spaciousness and enticing musical
wholeness that let me sit back and get lost
in whatever was spinning on my turntable. Apparently
you can swap sonic flavors by changing the frontmost
of the three tubes, but Stereophile's policy
is for its reviewers to review what they get.
Besides, the stock sound was so satisfying that
I kept the 834P cranking for well over a week
without pain.
The
834P's bottom-end delivery was well extended
though a bit loose, if only slightly so. If
you're using small two-way speakers whose midbass
hasn't been bumped up, it could be ideal, but
even in a full-range system, I didn't find the
bass blubbery or overripe—in fact, it
had a believable physicality that could make
me think solid-state bass sounds a bit too tight
and overwound. The 834P's high-frequency extension
and transient performance perfectly balanced
its bottom: not sharp and etched, of course,
but not soft or overly romantic, either. You'll
need to have the ideal cartridge to optimally
balance the 834P's virtues—a slightly
sharp, fast-sounding cartridge should really
get this thing singing.
Do
you want a big, expansive soundstage populated
by lush, full-sounding images? A rich picture
you can sink your ears into without feeling
as if a velvet cloth is muting cold pleasures
on top? The 834P will give you that. As much
as anything, what you're buying is the design
expertise of Tim de Paravicini, whose experience
and knowledge in building very expensive products
has now resulted in one of the best-balanced,
highest-performing, mid-priced hi-fi components
I've heard
Michael Fremer
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