Hi I have owned this for the last 3 months, btw I have the complete set PCA-2, HCA-2 power amp and the HCPS external power supply unit. Great separation, retriveal of detail is great not heard some things previously. Soundstage is good. its hooked to a pair of Sonus Faber Concerto Home speakers.

My main issue with this set up is "WHERE IS THE BASS", every one says it great but no one mentions the lack of bass from this unit. Prior to connecting the PCA-2, I had a Arcam Delta 290 hooked to the power amp, there was bass from that delta as a Pre (speakers were less than 3 feet away from the back wall), yes the Delta was NOT as revealing as the PCA-2, But there was bass, the PCA-2 was a disappointment from all the talk about how great it is that I had read on many-many forums, most reviewers said it had punchy great bass, I did not hear it when i brought it into my system. eventually I saw a video by Pual McGowan who highly recommended a subwoofer be plonked into the system, I did so, and I am pleased with the bass / low frequencies that i get from the sysytem now. I suspect some of those writing reviews already have a sub either inbuilt in their speakers or have had an external one hence why they rave and rant about the bass, when in reality the bass(low frequencies) is only there once you placed a sub. I listen to all types of music, and some recordings sound very good without he sub, but generally this combo needs a sub. Some who are reading this will not agree with the idea of placing a sub in the system, all I can say it makes bass heavy music replay with significant amount of bass in the system with a sub in the system.

I have owned this for a month and it is lovely and very musical.. Well worth every penny.. Has a very organic and musical sound..hooked up to my Leak tl12s I have owned naim audio research sp18 and nothing comes close to this class A amp.. As said in other reviews you just listen to the music forgetting about eq the source etc. I have a Linn Basik turntable with a new incarnation of the Linn Akito 2b.. Everything i put on the turntable sounds completely musical air space depth.. It even performs the same organic magic on Spotify which has sounded very cardboard cutout on other amps I have owned from Naim 202 and 282.. These are not in the same league as the PSAudio unit.. Will be building on this fabulous secondhand find for very little money

No negatives maybe the remote could be more robust.

This preamp has by far surpassed my expectations in virtually everyway. Sonically, it outperforms anything else I've used in my system. Some of those include Yamaha, Bel Canto, Emotiva, B&K, and others. More surprisingly, it outperforms even several combo outboard DAC/preamps, including Legacy, Emotiva and even my prised tube-based TADAC.

The PCA-2 is superior in many other ways as well. It offers the most flexibility I've ever seen in alsmost any component. The balanced and unbalanced inputs, dual RCA and dual XLR outputs provide for a wide array of devices as well as a perfect setup for bi-amping. The connectors are all top-notch quality. And the remote adds functionality I didn't have with some of the previously-mentioned preamps.

Currently, it is setup with an EAD-1000 transport and a Theta DS Pro basic II providing source, and it is feeding a pair of Aronov monoblock amps, which are powering Eminent Technology LFT-8b speakers. This is by far the best sound system I have constructed after years of trial, error and expense. I might add that the external Theta DAC added significant punch and detail.

I have 2, I paid under $1,200 for them both! E-bay, Audiogon, and Patience.
At that price for one, no contest! Nothing can touch it.

Even for new one, it outperformed a long list of pre-amp's, of very high caliber and $$$$$.

The P.S. is engaging, you forget everything, and just enjoy the music. That is my satisfaction sign.
When I am not thinking of components, just loving the music.

Simply one of the most incredible sounding pre-amp's, I have ever heard.So very functional, and the build quality is A-1. With the HCPS, it easily competes with the likes of Roland, Krell, Bel Canto, Plinius, and many other much
more expensive pre-amp's, in the Reference Level.

I prefer this to the newer GCP pre-amp. that replaced it. I feel that this is one of Audio's biggest secret.
When set up with a decent power cord, the speakers seem to vanish, leaving only the music.

If I am not mistaken, in a test, the PCA-2 was better on paper than the GCP. I use the GCA-500 amp. with
awesome results.

My ears don't lie, and I buy what I hear, and enjoy , not what I see.


Enjoy the Music!

Wonderful sense of space, depth and air.

Very rich tonally, fast bass and silky smooth but crisp treble.

High definition at it's very best!

Great looks and build qualtiy, looks more expensive that it is.

Can't fault it, either sonically or mechanically.

Almost the perfect product.

A wonderful Class A sounding preamp. that also has looks, facilities, remote, 7 inputs and twin outputs, both balanced and un balanced. Also input no 1 is balanced.

In my setup, it replaced a Musical Fidelity NuVista.

The two preamps. were very similar in the midrange, with crisp airy and very well defined imaging but, the PCA 2 was far superior in both ends of the spectrum, lower and better defined bass and richer treble, without any hardness.

The best quality of this preamp. is its ability to separate notes and instruments in the mix, giving the listener a very precise sonic picture of a good recording.

It has great facilities like adjustable input gain so when selecting different inputs you get the same volume.

Also, the phase inverter is handy as well as the electronic balance control and the dimming of the display.

The volume control is an absolute joy to use and the remote is small and has all the functions the user needs.

And just to top it up,, there's a very high quality h/phone amplifier inbuild ( not just a chip) as most manufacturers do, but a dedicated amp. that gives the same great audio quality if the user decides to listen through h/phones.

I drive the matching HCA 2 power amplifier with it and the final sound is exceptional.

If you value great detail, air, space and great depth in your sound, this is a preamp. you better listen to.

I often wonder, is ti getting any better than this?

Similar Products Used:

Meridian 501

Musical Fidelity Nu Vista hybrid Class A

Audio Research LS 2

Creek OBH 12 passive

Wide dynamic range; excellent imaging and precision; good build quality, smooth volume control; easy setup and interface; adjustable gain on each input; simple, straightforward remote

None really. It does lend some coloration to the music, which some may consider to be a weakness.

By comparison with my previous preamp, McCormack TLC-1, the PCA-2 is very crisp and precise, with a wider dynamic range. So far (after about 100 hours) it does not seem to have the transparancy and smoothness of the TLC-1. However, it is more musical, with extended treble and deeper bass. It especially shines on music with complex instrumentation, such as big-band jazz or prog rock. The imaging and definition are astounding: each instrument can be heard distinctly in the mix. This unit has the optional inboard phono card, and it is a marked improvement over my Creek phono preamp. My value rating is based on the price I paid, which was less than half the list price including the phono option.

Similar Products Used:

McCormack; Parasound; NAD; Creek

Very user friendly buld quality very good

none

I have had this preamp for about a week now and could not wait to post a review. After about one hundred hours of run it this is the best sounding preamp i have had. Very open mid and high powerful bass.

Similar Products Used:

Proceed AVP2 Audio Research SP16 B&K ref50