EAR Yoshino 834L Deluxe Preamp Review

[GXAlan]

Amir is absolutely consistent…It would be ridiculous to suddenly start rating tube gear positively on its ability to distort the signal.

100% agreement.

It's $3k and looks kind of cheap. I'm not seeing it as a stand-out bargain, even in that odd world.

I agree. I don’t like the look either and would not buy this product in my mind. I was just providing a glass half full perspective.

But Amir heard the difference between the tube and passive stage of the Schitt Freya+, and I allow for the possibility that some people like the grunge. That means the harmonic levels are sufficient to be heard even if they don’t met traditional Klippel online distortion test thresholds. Here, the EAR does have a different distortion profile.

I personally reserve the headless panther for dangerous products, products that don’t work like an AC cable that’s missing its ground, have grotesque channel imbalance/AC line noise, etc. I have this the second lowest. The 300B SET I reviewed had the pass since it was designed as a historical artifact with a Western Electric 91B replica, and the dynamic treble into reactive loads was really interesting/surprisingly enjoyable.

 

[mhardy6647]

Regardless of performance, imagine spending 3k usd for stamped sheet metal case with 70% audiophile air inside.

This is how a 3k preamp looks, on top of measuring like benchmark
View attachment 311245

View attachment 311246

Well the canine (fox, wolf, coyote, whatever) graphic is pretty cool. Easily worth a $500 premium.

 

[mhardy6647]

Must check homework before submitting!
Fret of clay would just sound awful.
Keith

It's the old, old story. The three little pig guitarists. The first made their frets of straw, the second, of sticks... but that third little guitarist-piggie. They went for the gusto.

... but -- I hear you ask -- whatever became of The Wolf?

Jerry Garcia's guitar finds new life on Vermonter Zach Nugent's debut album

The late Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead used to name his guitars, and one was known as "The Wolf." He switched to another after 1978, and The Wolf didn’t appear on any recorded album since. But now it’s back, as Vermont’s Zach Nugent of the Nectar’s house band Dead Set plays the old...

www.vermontpublic.org

 

[computer-audiophile]

Ha said he made tube-amps for marketing reasons only.

Can you point me to the source of this statement? I would like to check that.

 

[Mulder]

Can you point me to the source of this statement? I would like to check that.

Se my post #95 above in this thread

 

[fpitas]

Second, tubes don't have the enormous storage times of transistors, so they are very fast. Tubes go to100MHz without trying

Lol! Those were the bad old days for transistors. A few MHz was blazing along for them.

 

[Deleted member 51584]

The EAR 834P was incredibly successful, in production for almost 50 years and replaced with the EAR Phonobox. I had a Phonobox and enjoyed it tremendously. A fabulous valve plug-and-play phono stage.

The 834L looks like an 834P with added line inputs. Sort of makes sense for some punters years ago, but far better to get an 834P or now a Phonobox and integrated amplifier.

Many TdeP units came in black and bling versions. I had a black one, just a matter of taste.

 

[computer-audiophile]

Se my post #95 above in this thread

Thanks, that is interesting. Obviously a self-confident designer who knows his stuff.

 

[usersky]

He has soldered grounding wire to those shafts that turn???

I am lost for words how anyone with the slightest respect for the engineering can find acceptable such and abomination. Guys, come on, this is an insult:

 

[computer-audiophile]

Guys, come on, this is an insult:

True! I have never seen anything like this

 

[Deleted member 51584]

Thanks, that is interesting. Obviously a self-confident designer who knows his stuff.

TDeP was one of the most brilliant designers of his generation, primary of bespoke professional recording equipment. He made highly regarded valve and solid state equipment. He was known for being a difficult individual and what he said should be taken with a pinch of salt. Whatever, many people enjoyed his products over many years, including me in a modest way.

There is a much better EAR phono pre-amp, the 868PL. Paired with an EAR amp and a pair of Tannoys, Living Voice or Quad speakers, and you get a very seductive audio experience. Been there, done it. They also make a couple of better phono stages, one valve, the other solid state, run one of those through a V12 ... it's actually a lovely integrated amp. You have to get off your *** to change the volume.

 

[Multicore]

Here's one that I have and which I recall sounding particularly horrendous: https://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/315

Idiotic mic placement and mixing on this disc. I recall the recording being so bad that it practically eliminated my ability to appreciate the performance.

I bought it because of the good performers on the disc and the (illusory) promise of good sound quality. Waste of money, even purchased used from Academy Records & CDs in NYC.

Interesting. This is what I describe as recording aesthetics, the art of setting up musicians and mics in a given space. Kavi Alexander has expressed his ideas about that. I haven't listened to this recording although I am aware of it. I hope to check it out. In any case, your answer is compatible with the idea that it wasn't EAR's tube mics or preamps that ruined the pleasure for you. But that's not very surprising as there are a lot of old recordings made with tube gear that we still enjoy.

Kavi Alexander is an interesting character. His pre-2003 technical approach was purist with an almost mystical belief in tubes. He said he got his recording equipment blessed by a Swedish Lutheran priest.

 

[Blumlein 88]

I am lost for words how anyone with the slightest respect for the engineering can find acceptable such and abomination. Guys, come on, this is an insult:
View attachment 311538

That was someone's modification not part of the original design.

 

[pma]

Within some quarters of the U.K. market Tim is held in very high regard, ‘guru’ status in fact, now that their designs are actually examined many appear to have feet of clay, reputation built solely on marketing.
Keith

He definitely was one of the important audio designers, rather in studio gear. Yes, his view does not fit to the ASR mainstream view, however it does not mean he was not an important designer and it also does not mean that his reputation was built solely on marketing. Opposite is true.

Some shots to show he really did not fit to ASR view.

 

[SIY]

My $0.02. A tube preamp can do MUCH better than this. But I knew Tim, spent several days hanging out with him discussing design, and breadboarded some circuits he suggested. Their performance was outstanding, and these were NOT anything like cut and paste. I thought he was nuts until I built and measured them... so my guess is that this is exactly what he intended, as opposed to some designs which are clearly done by ignoramuses.

Side note: the Lux MB3045, designed by Tim, was a superb tube power amp, one of the best of its era.

 

[GXAlan]

My $0.02. A tube preamp can do MUCH better than this. But I knew Tim, spent several days hanging out with him discussing design, and breadboarded some circuits he suggested. Their performance was outstanding, and these were NOT anything like cut and paste. I thought he was nuts until I built and measured them... so my guess is that this is exactly what he intended, as opposed to some designs which are clearly done by ignoramuses.

Side note: the Lux MB3045, designed by Tim, was a superb tube power amp, one of the best of its era.

Is there any chance of worn out tubes? Looking at the 12ax7, VTV once had the Mullard 12AX7 at 0.015% H2 and 0.000% H3 while the Suguang was 0.065% and 0.005% H3 for however they measured it. Some of the Sovtek’s were as high as 0.140% H2.

 

[pma]

Is there any chance of worn out tubes?

IMO it is related to circuit design used. With SRPP+ and optimized load you may go below 0.1% THD and reach something like 0.03%, -70dB in other words. Definitely inaudible.

 

[SIY]

IMO it is related to circuit design used. With SRPP+ and optimized load you may go below 0.1% THD and reach something like 0.03%, -70dB in other words. Definitely inaudible.

One of the circuits he gave me (not an SRPP!) was in the 0.002% range at 4V out. And a gain of nearly 200.

Is there any chance of worn out tubes?

Only if they're worn out identically in both channels. But a good point, there may be a defect here, but it would have to be common to both channels.

First thing I'd check is the B+ to see if that's gone too low with age.

 

[DualTriode]

Hello All,

The measurements are valid and the amplifier is expensive. That does not make you a dolt if you purchase this tube pre-amp.

In this thread if mentioning anything if favor of this tube pre-amp a person is subject to bias and ridicule perhaps even accused of personal attack.

There is more than measurements and price that go into a purchase decision.

A couple of months ago I purchased a new car it was ICE not EV. I selected a blue one and a upgraded sound system, I paid extra. Your choice would likely be different. I have no clue how the sound system measures. It sounds nice to me.

Thanks DT

 

[mhardy6647]

Guesses have a 50% chance of being correct. If I remember correctly, blind testing needs to approach 90% to be accurate.

Kinda depends on the significance level one wishes to achieve.