The best preamp… OK, do you mean, “at any price”? Because sure, the $2.2 million Pivetta Opera-Only amplifier might be the best amp in the world, however, we aren’t usually interested in equipment like that.
But if you mean, the best preamp “at a real-world price that a normal person might afford” … now, we are interested. You might expect us to name our own flagship, the Rhythm tube preamp, as the best preamp. But we are taking price into account, so we actually arrive at a different answer.
The Answer
With price factored in, the answer for us is easy:
We believe our Rhumba tube preamp, our least-expensive line stage, is the best preamp you can buy.
How We Got There
Let’s look at the factors that are important to consider when you look at the quality of a preamp, because when you apply these factors to your own stereo system, you may come to your own, different answer:
1. Sound quality. We consider this to be the most important factor. But exactly what are we listening for?
a. Accurate and natural tone. This is what everybody talks about. Tone is what the reviewers write about, over and over. Why? Because it’s the easiest quality of sound to evaluate. It’s obvious when a preamp has too much treble, too much bass, or sounds overly aggressive, or weak. Or when a trumpet doesn’t really sound like a trumpet. When a preamp fails to present accurate tone, it’s going to be hard for you to get lost in the performance. In this area, at Backert Labs we seek accuracy, not embellishment or excitement. The more accurate your preamp sounds in terms of tone, the more inherently compelling and exciting it will be.
What You’ll Hear When Tone Is Wrong: Tone can get complicated – for example, if you are hearing all the correct frequencies, but the sound is a bit metallic, hard, grey, or just sterile… this is not good tone. These are common difficulties with solid state preamps. Tube preamps have their own difficulties in the tone area, such as overly-warm sound, or sound that is congested or lacking air.
b. Rhythm. This gets less attention. But it’s just as important as tone – maybe even more important. Why? Because rhythm and timing are major factors in sending signals to your heart, soul and brain that not just a recording, but real music is being performed, right now. The question is, whether you have the urge to tap your foot. Or maybe feel the urge to dance or play “air drums” along with the music. Or, when music is languid and mellow, do you follow the slowly pulsing implied timing and rhythm, as the performer graudally unveils their message? Accurate rhythm gets very complicated, so we will discuss it further below.
When Rhythm Is Wrong: Poor rhythm in a preamp causes you to lose focus and think about other things in your life, because the music is not as compelling as it should be. One example is when music just feels “slow.” This is often a problem with tube preamps. As you can tell from the name of our flagship model, we feel that we have overcome this issue. If you begin thinking about your yard, your home’s plumbing, your tax return (or the components in your stereo system) as you listen to music, your preamp may be impaired in the rhythm department.
c. Dynamics. This is another major cue to your senses that you are hearing a performance that is real, not just a recording. Dynamics are roughly defined as “the extent to which volume can go louder or softer.” A very dynamic recording might be a well-recorded orchestral piece, with passages that only whisper, and other sections that crash into your listening room like a herd of buffalo. An example of poor dynamics would be a pop radio or Spotify hit that is at “maximum loudness and excitement” 100% of the time. This kind of music can seem exciting at first, but it actually lacks dynamics. However, “more dynamics” is not necessarily the answer. At Backert Labs, we seek dynamic accuracy – and it’s something we are especially proud of (in fact, Bob Backert named our gain stage the “Dynamic Linearity Circuit”). Our designs provide exactly the dynamics that are present on your source material. Dynamics show up in music in two ways: (1) subtle, millisecond-by-millisecond changes in emphasis, such as in a complicated run of notes, and (2) big-picture increases and decreases in overall intensity over periods of many seconds. A preamp that achieves dynamic accuracy will make you feel as though you are in the presence of something real, something that is happening “right now.”
When Dynamics Are Wrong: A preamp with inaccurate dynamics makes your music sound like you are listening to a stereo. It will be harder to get lost in the music, because with each passing moment, you are confronted with the fact that you’re just hearing a recording. Incorrect dynamics can also become fatiguing. If you are feeling tired after 30 or 60 minutes of listening to your stereo, your system is probably getting the dynamics wrong.
d. Soundstage and Imaging. Music lovers often seek a large soundstage, which is the illusion of a physical presence of musicians in their room, laid out over a deep and wide area that seems independent of the speakers themselves. However, this can also go wrong, as you don’t want a female singer’s mouth to seem like it’s the size of a garage door. Full, accurate, believable soundstage is a key element in a very high quality preamp. The same is true with imaging, which is the ability to “show” you a specific instrument, voice, or group of voices in a particular location in your listening room. Soundstage and imaging are qualities that show up in the best and usually the most expensive preamps.
When Soundstage and Imaging Are Wrong. Music without these visual cues can still be very enjoyable, but once you have heard a preamp that can really trick your senses into “seeing” a voice or instrument, or can present a massive physical area from which the music emanates, it can be a little boring to listen to preamps that do not have these abilities. The usual indication of a problem in this area is music that sounds like it’s just coming directly from each speaker, or only comes from a center point between the speakers, and does not separately define each instrument and voice (the “big blob” effect).
2. Features. If you are primarily concerned with sound quality, you might agree with us that the Rhumba line stage is the best preamp you can buy. However, if you want features in your preamp such as a DAC, a phono preamp, or bass and treble controls, then you may want to consider other brands and models.
The features we believe are necessary to provide include:
- remote control for volume adjustment
- fully balanced input and output jacks
- selector knob to choose which music source you want to listen to
- a way to easily access your tubes in case you want to experiment with a different brand
- volume control that is fully analog, NON-digital, and NON-software-based
- balance control
- mute switch
- stereo/mono switch
- Home Theater input, so your high-quality 2-channel preamp can be integrated into your home theater system, if desired
- multiple outputs, so that you can bi-amp your stereo if you want, or send the signal to a subwoofer as well as your primary amp
More about rhythm.
Reviewers have reviewed our preamps many times, and we Our passion for preamps and great stereo sound in general is driven partly by our desire to feel like we are in the presence of a performance, a happening, something real that is going on “right now.” That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Magazine reviews by people you’ve never met are only going to help so much. To get a handle on whether a preamp has the sound you want, it’s helpful to evaluate one in your own home. Buying direct from Backert Labs allows you to do that, but also, many dealers will make similar arrangements or allow you to bring your power amp or speakers in to evaluate the sound in-store.
2. Best design. Consider the physical design, the ease of use, and most importantly, the design of the preamp’s circuit – i.e., the amplification and power supply circuits. Some of the advantages to our circuits: our power supply operates like no other, which is how we got it patented. One benefit is that it can use much higher quality/better sounding capacitors than are found in typical power supplies. Our amplification circuit (gain stage) is also unusual, being especially focused on dynamic accuracy, while also being especially easy on your tubes, allowing them to last far longer than with other designs. And our more expensive models continuously bias your tubes, something other companies don’t bother with at all. Even our home theater bypass circuit has advantages that we are proud to offer.
Other design points to think about:
– Ask yourself whether you want a pure tube gain stage, or a “hybrid” that also uses transistors to amplify your music (ours uses only tubes to amplify).
– Consider that the more tubes your music goes through, the more “stuff is in the way,” and be especially on the lookout for brands that use multiple gain stages (i.e., sending your music through two amplifiers in a row, rather than just a single amplification stage, as we use in our linestages).
– Ask whether the manufacturer uses feedback, either global or local feedback, which is widely considered to be a sonic disadvantage (we do not).
– Consider and ask whether the fundamental circuits are new and innovative, or simply reuse decades-old designs. One indication of new thinking is the presence of patented technology, such as the power supply used in all Backert Labs preamps.
– Watch out for strange claims, such as “heavier products are better.” If the chassis is steel instead of aluminum to make the product heavier, will that make it sound better? Or consider, how does a 90-lb tube television from 1992 compare to a 4K LED design from this year that you can carry under one arm? Is the tube television better because it’s heavier?
3. Designed and assembled in the U.S.; use of quality components. It is important to us that each Backert Labs preamp is assembled by hand, by us, in the United States. The quality of the components we use is very high, although it can be difficult for audiophiles to know whether the “best” components are being used. At Backert Labs, elements such as the Elma selector switch, Furutech IEC inlet, custom-made toroidal power transformer, IsoAcoustics feet on our more expensive preamps, and the fact that the aluminum for our chassis is machined in Pennsylvania are all signs that component quality is critical to us.
4. The people you’re dealing with. Do they seem like good people, who genuinely want you to end up with the best-sounding system possible? Do they have time for you? Or does it feel like they just want to “move boxes”? Are they focused on making the best preamps possible? Or, do they make and sell all kinds of stereo components?
5. The features you want. It’s a legitimate question — do you want a preamp that is focused on providing many kinds of features, such as an internal DAC, phono stage, bass and treble controls, or other options? Or, are you most concerned with ultimate sound quality? This is an important question that will help direct you in your search for the perfect preamp. At Backert Labs, we fall into the second category, with our work primarily focused on producing the best possible sound quality.
