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Review 1 of 2
Price Paid:
$287.00
from Ebay Summary:
I have tried several preamps from Classe, other fine Audire preamps and have heard many systems over the years, and I agree with the other reviewer: You can't beat this preamp. When compared to the Audire Legato, which I also have, and the Diffet 1a which I owned for two decades, and even the Classe, MacIntosh and Mark Levinson preamps my friends have exchanged within our systems, the Audire is the best by far. The Legato is absolutely crystal clear, but certain parts of the music, such as background piano or trumpet, are much more pronounced with the Diffet 3. One look inside and you see why: the power supply caps are larger than most 100-200 watt per channel amps. Where the Diffet 1a and Legato lose some presence of the background voices, the Diffet 3 just shines. While Mark L and Classe do excel in this area, they spread the sound around too much, as if creating space that was not there and thereby smearing the points of music that should stay put in their place. (I do not think this is true of the John Curl designs.) Where MacIntosh has the presence, it loses out in pinpoint accuracy. It's a shame you will never find one for sale. I was lucky! Strengths:
Exceptional presence, clarity, and pinpoint accuracy
The ability to drive multiple amps
Build quality other than the flimsy cabinet
Top quality electronic parts and as few as possible Weaknesses:
Flimsy cabinet
Not available
Not impressive looking for a list price of $1200 a decade ago. Similar Products Used:
Audire Diffet 1a, Legato, Classe, Mark Levinson, Crown, Carver, Phase Linear,
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