Don Sachs Model 2 Line Stage

I ordered a custom spec'ed Don Sachs Model 2 line stage (preamp) 12 weeks ago and it is finally done and will be shipped out to me tomorrow. I should have it hand by Tuesday. The idea was to get a preamp with better synergy with my amp and speakers than what I have now with Freya.

Here is a link to Don's web site:

Don Sachs Consulting

The preamp is based on the DIY SP14 preamp by Roy Mottram of "Tubes 4 HiFi" and "Vacuum Tube Audio" fame.

This preamp uses 6SN7 tubes for buffer and gain stages along with a 6AX5GT rectifier tube. Mine was built with one output using 2 uF AudioCap Theta capacitors bypassed by teflon capacitors for my Pioneer M-22 which has an input impedance of 50KΩ. The second output uses .47 uF Multicap RTX capacitors bypassed by teflon capacitors and is for amps with an input of 70KΩ or more. All the critical wiring is Dueland. The volume control is a Khozmo 64 step attenuator with remote control. This one has a Curly Maple case.

I will post more details in the coming days. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have.

Here are a few photos:

 

Do you still own the Freya for comparison purposes?

 

Absolutely!!

I did not have a chance to listen to one of these preamps before I ordered one so I am keeping Freya until I know how well I like it. I did talk with a couple of people that own these preamps. One I know well and trust what he has to say. Both absolutely love this preamp. But, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

 

Looks awesome! What's the gain on it and how much did it run you?

 

That's really easy on the eyes too. I see there's a ground connection too. That doesn't also serve as a phono pre?

 

The gain is 19dB with the left and right gain controls turned all the way up. As ordered, it was a little under $2800.

No, it is just a line stage. You can get it with a tape monitor circuit but I deleted that option. He sells a separate phono stage.

 

Listened to one of these paired with a 2a3 SET amp driving Altec 604's in big custom cabinets for a few hours at a neighbor's house. The sound was amazing, but as I was not familiar with any other part of the system I have no idea what part the preamp played in the awesome sound.

 

Dumb question and not trolling, but did you try Saga before ordering this beautiful custom preamp? Your speakers are hella sensitive and you probably don’t want to color the sound from the M-22, that’s why I assume you are looking to upgrade Freya.

 

No, I did not try the Sega. I was looking for a significant step up with this preamp purchase. While Saga may be better than Freya, I doubt there is a huge difference. I actually wanted some gain and I am looking for some tube "influence" on the sound. This preamp is supposed to pair nicely with Don Sachs' tube amp. Regardless, I like pairing a solid state amp with a tube-based preamp.

 

Saga is a significant difference from Freya imo. You won't get much (if any) tube coloration from it though.

 

Saga is a preamp that adds almost nothing to the chain, it's a close as you can get soundwise to pluging a source directly into the power amp. It's the kind of preamp I prefer and one of the best of it's type (regardless of price) but it's not the only way to go.

This Don Sachs preamp is different, it's meant to color the sound a little and enlargen the soundstage. The Pioneer M22 is probably the best amplifier of it's type but it still has that dry Class A thing going on and I'm sure a giant, overbuilt tube preamp can help @winders get the sound he's looking for.

 

Having owned both Saga and Freya running two different solid state amps, I like the tube coloration and widening of the soundstage Freya brings to Vidar. I do appreciate those who like Saga not messing with the sound of a great amp. I do look forward to your appraisal of Freya versus the Don Sachs Model 2 Line Stage. I hope it helps get you to where you want to go. I just wonder (and hope for you it is) if it is worth ~ 4X the price of Freya.

 

I've thought about one of these for the longest time -- still do and I'll likely get one in the coming months! Is it 4x the performance or even twice as good? Not sure. I like the look of Freya much more and it's fully balanced, which I also prefer for my setup.

But if it gets rid of the annoying clicks when voluming changing, plus have customizable caps and internal wiring then so be it!

One guy selling his (I just missed the boat on it) said, "I've tried Audio Research, McIntosh, Conrad Johnson, Rogue, Dennis Had, etc. You get to the point when you realize that at the end you need to accept the fact that it is just an elusive effort. If I would buy one preamp again I'd buy the one from the link I sent you [was to a regular SP14]."

 

I get the price is scaring people, but so many people go bonkers for PrimaLuna stuff. And their preamps go for even more, and use less inspiring tube compliments. (I don't think there is much love here for PL)

 

I have the same 64 step attenuator with remote in a hattor preamp, it does click but it has an incredibly fast response to the remote, like a counterstrike player would find it satisfying and the ir angles for the remote are nice and wide... Using a dac with remote now and the slight latency makes me miss the attenuator

 

The Khozmo 64 step attenuator is MUCH quieter than the 128 step attenuator in Freya. Also, no matter how fast you spin it, the sound never gets blurred like it does with Freya. Also, 64 steps is plenty of granularity. I was a bit concerned about that but that concern was certainly misplaced. The display and remote are fantastic. It's great having a number to reference.

I've had the preamp since the 19th and have been patiently burning in tubes and caps. It sounded great right out of the box. It sounded so good that I have already sold the Freya I had.

One thing I can report already is that the DS-2 preamp is much more forgiving in regards to tubes and the noise they may make than Freya. With Freya, even my quietest tubes hummed loud enough to be heard ~3 feet from the speaker. I had some tubes so loud I could only use them in the output buffer stage. With the DS-2, my quietest tubes are silent once you get 6" from the speaker. I then tried some of my noisier tubes and they were just as quiet. I even tried a tube that crackled and popped in Freya and it was quiet in the DS-2.

This explains some puzzlement I generated in a tube seller I use a lot. I had sent back some 6SN7 tubes for being too noisy. He had tried them in his preamp (not sure which brand or model) and heard no noise. I now have to wonder what might be up with Freya's gain stage circuitry. Why would this be the case?

 

This is great feedback. So happy you decided to go with this one -- as are you out sounds like!

How bright is the volume LCD?

 

Yeah, Freya is pretty noisy in my experience (w/93-ish db/W speakers) - I borrowed a Yaquin 6SN7 tube buffer from a friend, just to try/double check some tubes that were noisy in Freya; both pairs were perfectly silent in the tube buffer, but pretty hissy in the Freya. I mean, with music playing, Freya isn't too noisy to use for me; it's constant and doesn't change with volume.

Sounds like that Don Sachs model might be a keeper, tho!

 

So far I am VERY happy with my choice.

The volume LCD has 5 brightness levels plus off. I am using the dimmest setting. The on/off LED is brighter than I would like.