HIFIVE

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This is an update to a previous review. My PT3 was put up for a while to try a few high end preamps, some of which were very good. I just recently installed the PT3 on some Nuforce amps I recently aquired. I could not believe how good they sounded together. The whole soundstage opened up with great transparency & detail. I also have tried this preamp with a McCormack DNA-1 with excellent results as well. This preamp gives you the ability to shape the sound rather than trying to treat a room's acoustics. Anyway don't worry about the loudness button, its there but it doesn't mean you have to use it. Superb preamp for the price & above. I have no choice but to give the PT3 high marks!

Strengths:
You don't have to pair this up with a B&K power amp. Try it on other high quality power amps, you will be pleasantly surprised at the results

Weaknesses:
You must be joking!

Similar Products Used:
Too numerous to mention.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This is a review for the PT5, the replacement for the PT3. I stopped into a local Tweeter store to look at the new preamp. As I had owned the PT3 but had sold it, I went immediately to the Loudness button. Same old,same old! You would have thought the designers might read owner's reviews in websites like AudioReview and take a look at the over -the-top bass problem. I guess not. This unit looks and feels like the PT3. The big difference I see is in adding balanced output connectors to the back of the unit. The price has increased by $100 or so. This unit is a mid-fi preamp. Buy the PT3 and save some money unless you need balanced outputs... but why would you be using this preamp for that?

Price Paid:  $350.00 from Used/Audiogon

Summary:
After listening to this preamp extensively for the past couple of months I feel that I need to place my opinion on the piece. First off I won't tell you how it sounds since everyone has different preferences in music and also different equipment. I feel the loudness button is pretty useless since it boosts the lower frequencies up 6 db's. That's quite a bit, a bit too much in my opinion. The floor would shake with little volume applied and sounded very muddy. But..., my equipment is different than yours. The programmable features are neat but I never use them. They are a bit difficult to navigate through and some things you can only do with the remote. Other than those two things I love this preamp. It's smallish size makes a nice fit just about anywhere. This is first preamp I've used which utilizes a "digital" volume. The same nob on the unit controls the bass, treble, and balance features. It took a little while to get used to since it's sensitive but works fine. The control in/out feature will turn things on/off when the unit is taken out of sleep mode. This I find especially useful since my amp (B&K ST125.2) is placed far above what my wife can reach. The face is attractive with no mess of nobs and buttons. The buttons which are on the unit light up in red when utilized. These buttons are the soft touch control design, not the heapy cheapy hard plastic junk. The remote is ok, not the best but it beats not having one at all. I find the build quality to be excellent, something I would expect from an American maker who takes pride in their product. BTW - The exact preamp I own is the Series II, Version 2.05.

Strengths:
Build quality, neutral sound.

Weaknesses:
Loudness feature is "overstressed"

Similar Products Used:
Audiosource, Onkyo, Carver.

Price Paid:  $348.00 from Tweeters

Summary:
This was my first step out of the lower end of audio equipment. After spending several months listening to many systems accross a wide range of prices I settled on the B&K PT lll series ll pre amp mated to a B&K ST2140 amplifier. I am currently using a realley old Techniques MASH cd player and my old faithfull Klipsch 45G's. Switching to the B&K from my old techniques integrated amp/pre-amp was astounding. The Bass is tighter the highs higher and the entire spectrum of sound is both fuller and cleaner. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm glad I saved a couple of G's and went with the B&K cmponets.

Strengths:
clean crisp sound, looks good too

Weaknesses:
remote can be a pain and the loudness feature could use some refinement

Price Paid:  $598.00 from Magnolia HiFi

Summary:
As an audiophile i feel compelled to write a review on this preamp. If you have thousands of dollars to spend on a preamp, buy this one first because it will save you alot of money that can be better spent elsewhere. I feel alot of audiophiles will ignore this preamp because of it's cheap price tag but they will also miss out on it's sound quality. I've tried other more expensive preamps but i always go back to the PT3. You can always find fault with any product but the one thing the PT3 does well is it allows us to enjoy the music. I highly recommend.

Strengths:
Transparency, detail, better sound than some more expensive preamps

Weaknesses:
None worth mentioning

Similar Products Used:
McCormack, Audio research, Bryston, B&K