Vintage Preamps Part 2: Phase Linear 4000

More about this Phase Linear 4000 can be found on the SkyFi Audio site, skyfiaudio.com/products/phase...
The '4000 is on sale for $1,499.
Last week's McIntosh C22 preamp video, • McIntosh's C22 preamp ...
My 2019 interview with Sky-Fi's Fernando, • Vintage audio treasure...
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PLEASE LIKE THIS VIDEO!

[@trekjudas]

YES! Vintage gear FEELS so much better than modern gear! The buttons were made of metal. They had this weight and substantial feel to them!

[@vinyl1Earthlink]

That is true of modern mass-market equipment, but not of the high-end stuff,. They waste a lot of money on half-inch thick faceplates machined out of solid aluminum.

[@henriksrensen5958]

The sound in modern high end amplifiers are much better though

[@tjiddesvensson4658]

That preamp is a pice of shit , but the power amps Phase Linear made is amazing ! I have a bunch of diffrent phase linear amps and i have never heard anyting that sounds so good

[@Frankinsteinguitar]

Accurate review, I owned and loved Phase Linear stuff for decades.....miss it today. Listened to a lot of hard rock back then.

[@Rich2241]

I bought a Phase Linear 4000 in the late 70s when my aesthetic tastes were still evolving and I had a house deep in the woods of western NJ (just down the street from where the Lindbergh baby was kidnapped) and could let my system scream into the night. I connected it to two Citation 16 amps which drove 8 Original Advent Loudspeakers, connected in series in 4 channels. Boy! Donna Summer sounded GREAT. Also the Stax electrostatic headphones made losing a bit of my high end hearing a pleasurable experience!! I lent a key to my home to a crew that was power washing my house of the mold that grows on wooden homes in the woods. A week after they finished, someone helped himself to all my stuff (but left the Advents, of course). Worse, they cut through the connecting cables and speaker wires, adding insult to injury. My next set up replaced my ADvents with the original Klipschorns, connected to a Bedini Amp with something called Litz Wire, I think Litz Blue, which would have required a power saw to go through. Happy memories of days gone by with only occasional whistles from mean old Dr. Tinnitus.

[@JAHISRAEL]

I sure did spend thousands on my Phase Linear and Carver equipment back in the 70's and 80's.....only quad-LP I ever tried was the Black Sabbath Paranoid but I still have my Phase Linear 4000 II and a Carver vacuum tube output preamp and Carver 1.0t amps and even the Carver Cube and the C-9 and I even got to R&R the original Carver ALS speakers in 1986 getting to blow up X-overs and updated to the one piece ribbon from the 2 piece and still have all of the original version and updated parts.......and the Carver vacuum tube output CD player.......back in the early days when Bob Carver was still in Lynwood WA and I lived close enough to visit the place they built the speakers and hauled them back in forth when I still had the original boxes they came in that fit perfect in the back of my 1976 Power Wagon so I could haul them back and forth to Carvers old building.........good old days.

[@paulpavlou9294]

Bob Carver was a giant in the audio world and it’s good to celebrate his achievements. I still use vintage components into my audio systems. Some components are too good to leave I the garage. Examples are my JBL L1000 Century speakers, Nakamichi 600 and VacuumState FVP pre Amplifiers. These components paired with modern day power amplifiers sound fantastic. I still adore my Stax SR-5 ear speaker’s with SRD-6SB energiser that’s connected to a “Wyred 4 Sound” DAC and an ice D class power amp. I’ve been using them for 40 years now and would never sell them. I do have the newer Stax SR-L300 Limited Editions which are equally as good. Steve keep reviewing vintage equipment so that the younger generation appreciates quality and it doesn’t end up in land fill. Love your work.

[@robmills537]

Don't you think vintage hifi just looks so dam good.

[@jcgeertsen]

I had one of these, along with the Phase Linear 400 amp running a pair of Speakerlab "Klipschorns" in a basement room with cinderblock walls. 200wpc into corner horns in a cement room was rather lively, as I recall.

[@bob7501]

Whoa! I had the PL 4000 preamp and the PL 400 amp running a pair of Speakerlab Super 7's. The Super 7's had a 10" and a 12" woofer, and a big mid-range and tweeter horns. Man, that setup rocked and it traveled with me to lots of parties in my younger days. I had that gear from about 1976 until the early 90's when the amp finally failed. The lights would dim when I powered it on. I wish I still had all that gear. I fell in love with the Speakerlab K-horns way back then in their Seattle University District showroom but I couldn't afford them. Our next house will have a dedicated music room and I do plan on having a pair of Klipschhorns in it because of my exposure to the Speakerlab K-horns.

[@jcgeertsen]

@@bob7501 In the 70's a friend of mine and I made several pairs of Klipschorns using the plans available from Speakerlab. We bought drivers from them and found an audio wizard to make the crossovers. We made them from high-density particleboard that we drove down to Tacoma to get. It was a real workout for the table saw- no square corners or edges on any of the pieces. We made sets for ourselves and sold more to an audio dealer in the UofW district. My friend still has his, finished in Cocobolo veneer, which is probably prohibited now. Mine were unfinished. I sold them when we moved to AZ. My favorite record to play on them was the Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker Carnegie Hall Concert. Probably used all of 10 watts when I cranked it up. We drove them with my friend's Walkman once. Good times.

[@BlankBrain]

Speaking of lights dimming, I tri-amp, so I HAVE to power up sequentially. I'm working on designing soft-starts for my amps. There's a lot to learn! I'm going to use a separate (small) transformer to power the circuit. I'm going to use two relays. The first to run power through resistors, the second to bypass the resistors. I'm not using thermistors because sometimes I get short power outages like limbs hitting power lines. I'm pretty sure I'm going to use a 555 timer, even though it's overkill. I may even set things up so I can hit one switch to get an automatic sequenced power-up.

[@Aswaguespack]

jcgeertsen in the 70’s my friend Jack and I spent several weekends in his Father-in-Law’s woodworking shop building a pair of Speakerlab K-horns from the plans Speakerlab sold. We used marine grade plywood. They were big and heavy. Jack was in the Car Audio Business then and he obtained the drivers and the crossover we used. They sounded very good. I won’t say as good as the original or even close to the original Klipschorn but they were very good and for us the process of building was more educational then the actual outcome. A great time spent with a good friend is always a value that cannot easily be measured.

[@jcgeertsen]

@@Aswaguespack That's a great material to use for the bass enclosures because of the density and no loose plies to rattle around. We found a place making high-density particleboard that was extremely dense and flat. The big problem for us was that the sheets were 1" oversize, so they wouldn't lay flat in the back of my parents' Pontiac station wagon. They were extremely heavy, and we had to muscle them in sideways, but finally got them back to the shop. We sealed every joint with silicone caulk to make them airtight. I loved those things but when we moved to AZ we found that few small houses have full adjacent corners, so they had to go.

[@MagusPerde42]

I had the 4000 in a quad system with two PL 400s and four Rectilinear 5s. It was amazing.

[@Vekurus]

Really wa a combo in the early 70's, My father had the 4000, 400 amp, and Rectilinear lowboys.

[@astolatpere11]

Love the vintage gear reviews. And the bit of history. Thanks.

[@grantwilson9161]

I'm into vintage audio & I'm really enjoying these retro gear reviews. Thanks!

[@file1man]

you are among the very best audiophiles to teach us, inspire us. Refreshing, honest reviews noting the good and bad of an item, based on your skills & opinions developed over years of exposure. At age 71, Ive been into music and audio since my 20's. Sadly, never met anyone else with a stereo system here in NJ. so you, steve and stereo, jay, darko, zeos, Hans Beekhuyzen, and zero fidelity each make learning so much easier than reading the stereo rags. Please keep your foot in the door . Steve and jay are still honing their skills. You and the others shares the mantel of leadership serving a real need. Now, if you could only teach me about tube preamps and hone my list to a top 3 for me the study amd help my old ati amp 150watt 5 channel, all channels driven to get some tube fun.

[@trutmaasfull]

Nothing is more critical like amps. Reviews of old school vintage is funny to watch theese days! 😋

[@VintageLuxmanStereoCollector]

Very nice vid Steve. Such a beautiful faceplate design by Bob Carver. I have a Luxman C1000 preamp by Tim de Paravicini that I cherish. Love the many tone control switches and the unique touch mute.

[@saedamad]

Love it... Good morning from Singapore Steve

[@gg41r]

WOW!!! That amp is a thing of beauty! I just adore Retro gear. I myself have nothing modern in my setup. That said, its mostly 80s and 90s gear

[@robertmac7833]

I owned one many years ago. I LOVED it!!

[@bartvanransbeeck1341]

Always great stories , love it, Greetz from belgium

[@3dimensionsofmusic3D]

Belgium makes the best ales. Cheers.

[@NickP333]

Bravo, sir! I loved that. Would I want one? Not one bit, but you made it seem exciting despite all its shortcomings.

[@DonC1965]

Back in the day, I owned a Phase Linear 3000 Series II and a 400 Series II to drive my Magnepan MG IIB speakers.

[@erwindewit4073]

Well, I thought it was an interesting idea, so I bought a newly restored Luxman R-1500E amplifier. It's been properly restored with modern electronics and weirdly sounds like a 1970s /modern hybrid. I love it! And all that for $500 (well, 450 euros)! So I use my tube amp together with this Luxman and it's great. Thanks for the tip!

[@marccohen5579]

I purchase a Phase Liner 4000. four 700's, a Lase Liner tuner, and four JBL studio monitors the size of a washing machine with a dark brown foam grill. I don't remember the model number, L something with 15" base speaker, midrange horn with an aluminum focus grill, and done tweeter. . I had a loud quadraphonic system, records, and tapes to play it on. Also one of the New York stations played four channel for a time (WQXR I think, The Quad Father) I lived in a small apartment in Greenwich, Ct. My neighbors hated me. Must have been the preamp.

[@bartvanransbeeck1341]

We had a Belgian constructor Andre Dimortier who made preamp with dynamic expander, power amp, and speakers with vitavox s2 mid, and loved this very musical gear and amazing design, first tubes after transistors

[@mattmiller2761]

Reminds me of "CMC Stereo" stores. They were big around here then. I've got a couple Phase Linear 700b's, a Sunfire subwoofer, probably some other Bob Carver equipment around here.

[@Labor_Jones]

I was Drafted in 1973 and in Europe at the HiFi Stores on Bases QUAD was BIG, *even if you couldn't find albums* and it seemed like your only choices were Santana and Author Fiddler at the Boston Pops doing Sussa.

[@wielentschoten575]

Those Sunfire subwoofers are amazing!

[@ecyfoto]

Until you need them repaired. Enjoyed my Junior until it failed.

[@bactanite]

Steve, because I saw you recommend a cd of music from the tv show Mr. Robot a few weeks ago, I discovered a great television series. Thanks!

[@obibaddad1991]

The shop I worked in had this line of electronics. The line had the ability to sell itself regardless of sound. It was the look and gadgets that did it. Carver's genius in full bloom.

[@dougg1075]

Love these vintage takes from a pro.. would be awesome if you did one every month

[@shannonmiller5648]

That thing is still cool. I’d own one. I even have some quad vinyls so it would be cool to have something like the 4000. Refined or not it’s just a cool piece of history.

[@dilbyjones]

I enjoy the fact that you don’t dismiss amps just because they have “ crunch , rumble, or hiss” ...etc . It’s takes a lot of experience to enjoy these types in my opinion.

[@Rich2241]

They can make a system sound alive, a breathing beast.

[@CopperRustWarriorCatFan]

Steve and his shirt make another review... good job!

[@papjcojonathan6596]

I have a phase linear 2000 it is amazing!

[@arthurhaywood2184]

My first system as a teenager in the 70's was built around a Sansui AU 717 integrated amp I bought at J&R Music World. My first turntable was a cheap belt driven Marantz. The speakers I built myself. My first bout with separates were a SAE 2900 Preamp & a BGW Audio ( Model 250?) Amp that I used for DJ duties. I remember the SAE having a built-in parametric equalizer. My first foray into high end was a PS Audio 5.0 preamp & a Krell KSA 80 amplifier.

[@alfonsodelafreg259]

I liked quad. It depended upon which system you used. Most messed up the stereo image. The best was CD-4, no relation to the digital CD. CD wasn't invented yet. In case you don't remember, this was a discreet 4 channel system from RCA where the rear channels were encoded on the LP via an FM modulated 40Khz carrier. You had to have a cartridge that could track that 40Khz carrier and output it to the decoder. Hence the Shibata stylus geometry. The best is that you could listen to the record on a normal stereo with no problems. All analog. Those boys at RCA sure new what they were doing. I remember finding that sweet spot and, with a bit of libation, listening in awe for hours. I wish I still had that decoder. Somebody swiped it while I was in college. Ah the good times.

[@joybrucebruce3377]

Voice Coil mag has a good article on the Tekton patent in June 2020 issue.

[@kurtwolter3984]

I had one. Wish I still had it!

[@Leicaphile27]

Still waiting to hear from Ms.Audiophiliac or a phono pre-amp review (long overdue).

[@johnhanselman6371]

There was an episode of Columbo from the 1970s when a Quad system was flaunted by the actor Patrick McGoohan as high end sound. The name of the episode was "Idenity Crisis" and the actor was very convincing.

[@kennethiman2691]

Can you interview Bob Carver? Would be interesting on his current thoughts on this vintage piece.

[@Aswaguespack]

Now that’s a great idea!! I agree

[@kevinfestner6126]

Love to see you review the marantz 2270.

[@davidcrandon2329]

Regarding the Autocorrelator..the hiss reducer. I've had the Phase Linear Series II standalone unit since the 70's. While I was an audiophile as a teen, I listened to rock and roll loud. Using LP's and tapes it was very, very easy to hear hiss (especially with teen age ears). It drove me crazy. Using the autocorrelation was an excellent fix. If adjust properly according to the directions, it did a fabulous job of reducing hiss in between tracks and in quiet parts of tracks without affecting the music. Remember, it had to be adjusted properly, and you had to have good hearing in the first place.

[@mostirreverent]

While I’ve been looking for a new preamp, I have the similar 2000 series 2 , and it sounds quite nice

[@robertspringer9477]

Hey Steve, I had a Phase Linear 400 amp with a Sony integrated amp, which I used the pre amp, and a Thorens turntable all into a pair of LaScalas, which I recall sounded pretty good to me. Unfortunately I eventually gave it all away. Wishing now I still had that setup.

[@arolex11]

I love my Prima Luna EVO 300 tube preamp matched with my McIntosh MC252

[@myu4039]

It would help a lot to say if these vintage pieces have been re-capped, rebuilt or otherwise brought back up to spec. Then you can determine what the sound is really like from them.

[@nunofernandes4501]

I didn't know I was born in the peak of Quadrophonic madness. 1973 is a great vintage!

[@ssks1979]

Thanks for the memories. I never owned this unit but I remember reading ads and wondering what all the controls really did to the music. May I suggest as a future vintage review - if possible, the preamp/amp pair from Ed Meitner - Museatex, the PA6i and STR-55. I always wondered what that set sounded like.

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

I own both of those Ed designs back in the day! I remember really liking them

[@vintagehifilover]

Hey Steve, I'm loving the vintage reviews, how about an Audio Research D115 MKII review? SkyFi audio have one available. Cheers

[@lynnlittle8671]

I have one of these, haven't used it in years. I'm thinking about setting it up with my almost as ancient Bryston 4B ST, just to see if she still sings.

[@williamsharp5973]

Lots of fun in this one. In 1974 I bought a Marantz 4140 integrated preamp/amp 25x4 or 50x2, or you could add up one or two basic power amps. This was a quad setup 'Quadradial' they called it. I had it set up with four JBL 100's, an SL1200 first model turntable, a TEAC four channel deck, and when it came out, a DBX117 'Dynamic Range Expander/Compressor'. I took a lot of crap from friends about quad being impure (really?). This amp had a 'matrixing' circuit that derived a quad effect from the stereo channels. I think it derived from the front left and sent that to the right rear, and front right to the left rear. The control let you vary the effect pretty significantly, and every source was different. Santana Abraxas was one of the best for overall sound and effect, as was Yes Fragile. On balance it sounded really great if you simply listen and forgive all else - like, man it was the 70's. The 4140 had a place for the future release of a discrete chip, but at that time all I could get in discrete was the open-reel TEAC. There were not yet any quad vinyl records out, and every stereo was different in how the content sounded using the quad matrixing feature. I had four or five discrete four-channel pre-recorded tapes and they sounded pretty good, including West Side Story and a Doors album. I think the idea of being in the middle of the sound with individual artists coming from different directions, was not attractive at all to me, but being 'enveloped' in the sound was. This was not anything like the early 'surround' as it first entered the market pre-home theater. The DBX117 was pretty effective at lowering tape hiss and basic surface contact tracking noise on vinyl - it was a case of making trade-offs and not designed or intended to remove ticks and pops. The control was adjustable, and putting in too much could cause 'breathing' you could hear very clearly, especially with headphones. The dynamic range effect was also effective if you were careful, but it depended on the source. Have to remember what they were trying to do, use it carefully and sparingly, and a little forgiveness helped. This was pre-CD of course, and few listeners were used to having an eye-popping difference between the softest and loudest parts of the source be quite so dramatic as many of us experienced later with CD's. As you say, some of these things were very cool for their time. You can of course still get all of what I've mentioned here on ebay!

[@jonathansturm4163]

Hey Steve, you’re welcome to my quadraphonic LPs if you want them. Frank Zappa “Apostrophe”, Bob Dylan’s “Planet Waves”, Ash Ra Tempel’s “Starring Rosi” and a Popol Vuh album I can’t quite recall the name of. All played on a temporary quad setup in 1973, or 4. My friend and I weren’t impressed either. I _was_ impressed by the Grace F8F phono cartridge I purchased to play ’em though :-)

[@Audiojunkabus]

So how much longer are you gonna stay silent regarding the blue elephants in the room?

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Not much longer

[@MrJamescord]

Looking forward to that Audio Research pre amp. Would have liked you to have tried the C22 with the out of spec parts restored! Hey how about trying out a SAE pre amp and power amp combination?

[@ouellettepc]

Max has one of these for sale up at the Vintage Turntable Store in Manheim PA!

[@daleromney6062]

I would be interested in a review of the Carver Silver 7 amplifiers. I always wanted one but they were way out of my budget at the time.

[@leekumiega9268]

Phase Linear also sounded good .Paul at PS Audio mentioned a comparison back in the day with Crown and how much better the Phase Linear sounded so it wasn't just about all that power. Audiophiles also raved about the clean accurate sound. You mentioned recording studios , while clubs and rock bands did not care that much about sound quality the recording studios did. About quadraphonic I heard Chicago's wishing you were here where it sounded like the waves in the beginning came at you ,passes under your feet then broke on the shore behind you as if you were in the water ,a pretty nifty effect . www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/tas-legacy-phase-linear-700-power-amplifier/

[@BlankBrain]

Steve, When you review vintage equipment, please indicate whether it has been re-capped and gone-through for degraded parts. For tube gear, please tell us what tubes were used. P.S. I love your vintage equipment reviews.

[@ellisryan1860]

I owned one and curio is an excellent term.

[@QoraxAudio]

That must have been a very complex device to design: all analogue filters to enhance the dynamics and reduce rumble

[@MagusPerde42]

You didn't mention one of the big selling points of the 4000 -- their interaural cancellation system called Sonic Holography. There have been many subsequent implementations of the technique since but Bob was first and still one of the best.

[@78sound]

Steve please try a marantz 2230 on your klipsch, why did you pick the mate of the flame linear amps?

[@amazoidal]

If you mention Bob Carver, you might review something from another legend - James Bongiorno. In the watts race of the 70's, James brought us Ampzilla. Also the Dynaco 400, Marantz Model 15 amp, all the SAE , GAS and SUMO including the 450 WPC "The Power" amp and the SUMO "The Gold", world's first patented solid state Class A amp.

[@54tristin]

I remember Dax coming to the store @1978 trying to make expanders compressors mainstream we sold 1

[@oldestpunkinargentina7766]

Hi Steve ! Would you make a review of a Yamaha C2 pre if you could lay hands on one ? That was my all-time fav ! Regarding the expansion on the this one, I have a standalone RG-2 Pioneer dynamic expander that serves the same purpose. Bought it in mint condition in '95, for vinyl, but tried it with CDs, and man, the results are addictive ! I apply it to CDs as well, if on the lowest 4db setting; works especially well with brickwalled CDs, and tightens the low end, which sounds wooly by comparison. Regards from Argentina; we love you baby !

[@m_DT]

Hi Steve, Would you consider doing similar series but reviewing speaker models from the 1970s, 80s, and/or 90s?

[@herbward5240]

Steve, I wonder have you ever looked inside the 4000 preamp ? an absolute mixmaster of audio distortion circuits with the added bonus of horrible connectors and sockets to insure fuzzy intermittents. But yes if one has a knob and joystick fixation, it’s fun to play with....

[@mr.george7687]

Had it w/ Phase Linear 400 & JBL L100's in 74.

[@robertalker652]

Same here 4000\400\L100's in 76. Throw in a really decent Thorens turntable which made up my system and I can't recall it being as Steve describes but it would be interesting to hear it all over again. Too bad it's been swallowed up by history alone.

[@stephensmith3111]

I have some recollections of this beastie from reviews in 'main stream' magazines of the day like Audio/High Fidelity/Stereo Review, but they are getting glitchy ("Done Got Old", Junior Kimbrough via Buddy Guy). Never actually owned one of course, way above the means of an undergrad college kid, but it looked intriguing. Is this the one with LP tick and pop reduction, or am I confusing it with something else? Also, does it have any actual 4-channel inputs for the likes of a 4-channel reel-to-reel tape deck?

[@socksumi]

Bob Carver vintage Phase Linear made incredible looking stuff. Though it's subjective, in my opinion the PL 4000 along with it's partnering power amps ranked as some of the sexiest stereo gear ever made. I never actually heard one but reviews were mixed. Festooned with features and buttons, Bob Carver's novelty gadgets like a dynamic range expander, spatial enhancement circuitry were impressive to read about but according to some reviewers that actually listened... the basic preamp sounded pretty average. Not horrible but not great either. But I do love that joy stick.

[@mariosupa4027]

Hey Steve did you ever own a Audible Illusions Modulus 3 ? I really loved the sound of mine, but hated the two volume controls and lack of remote. Just wondering your opinion and if you'll throw it into this discussion. Nice video by the way. As a kid I used to dream about owning a Phase Linear system, but I never bought one. What's your opinion on the current Bob Carver tube amps on the market?

[@editorjuno]

Try a Sony TA-2000F -- it has an amazing phono section with wide-open high frequency response to die for.

[@steveearnshaw2216]

I traded my Mac 1700 for aPhase Linear 400 and SAE Mk 9 to drive my Magnaplaner Timpani 1D’s. Really miss the Mac.

[@bilguana11]

The Audio Research SP-3A1 was by far the best sounding pre-amp in the '70s.

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Look for the review next Saturday

[@johnnytoobad7785]

I always felt the Phase Linear 4000 was the antitheses of what a pre-amp should be. But I thought the early amps were cool. I even used a Phase-400 for a while. As for pre-amps I still use a (re-built) Sony-TA2000f. (cira 1975)

[@donnykdick3564]

Knobs and buttons are plastic with a light easy creased thin aluminum covers. mine is the 2000 series 2 though. the rest seens constructed all right.

[@fredfungalspore]

Do you own a Shirt factory ...the one you are wearing today is pretty loud.... you seem to be blending in with your record collection...:) Love your take on all things HiFi...B.Good .

[@rojona]

Sounds like this one was all sizzle (literally) and not much steak but people back then (like me) loved this stuff. BTW it's all those switches and knobs along with their accompanying circuitry that made these things so noisy.

[@tomthompson7400]

Always interesting . But you dont mention the fact that Carver 1.5s were the fastest way to turn horns to toast , even faster than ss500ds ,, but boys they did sound sweet on big five way top ends ,,, Have you ever listened to either an Aphex Aural Exciter , or a BBE as in Barcus Berry Equiptment Expander ,, , even the very early Behringer Ultra Fex , the two knob / channel one,,,, some of the odd psyco acoustic expanders , I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on them , even if its all only for a giggle.

[@joybrucebruce3377]

Man that sp3a review coming up makes me wanna cry I upgraded mine little over 10 years ago to sp3c which they did then for roughly 800 bucks. Then sold it. That was my worst move in audio ever.

[@davedallafior8218]

I owned that preamp.

[@jonathansturm4163]

Really? You certain it wasn’t its evil twin?

[@bnghjtyu767]

I'll just take 2 channel with my meal thank you.

[@jamesparson]

Would you like a subwoofer for dessert?

[@bnghjtyu767]

@@jamesparson yes thank you James and I would like to have a generous covering of absorption panels and a diffuser on top thank you.

[@robertduenes9285]

Which tekton speakers in the background?

[@nickscapellato8248]

The only quad music I own is a four LP set of Ravel's Orchestral symphonies. I only have a two channel system but it sounds fantastic, recorded at a very low level. I'm not sure if it's just the recording or the stereophonic encoding (?) itself.

[@jonathansturm4163]

My four quad albums also are low level output. I replaced “Apostrophe” with the stereo mix and never bothered with the three others. Hardly ever played them.

[@nickscapellato8248]

@@jonathansturm4163 that being said the super low level lends itself the biggest dynamic range of any of my other records.

[@alannorberg6074]

I still have a shibata stylus cartridge which played JVC discreet 4 channel LP's.

[@texasjohn7511]

Does it have the TK-421 mod?

[@Gtcyclone]

Had my 4000 completely gone thru in 2024 with all the up dated parts by Carver in Washington state I would like to know what you think now I also had my 400 gone thru at the same time

[@kevinhayden8558]

If anyone owns one of these beautiful preamps, make sure you replace all of the 1uF caps in this unit.These caps have very high Esr. Even better, do a total recap job and replace the weak support Rca inputs and outputs just like the one in this review.

[@BadChizzle]

The uncompresser. Not a bad idea. Studio guys would probably Love that, in order to fix things that have been mangled, pre mastering. 🧐🤷🏻‍♂️🎛🎚

[@bilguana11]

Couldn't really work as the compression varies.

[@ajn465]

Actually, there are studio compressor/ expanders. One i worked with, by Klark Technik, was much better for isolating drum close mics than a noise gate because it allowed for a little grey area as opposed to the hard on or off of a gate. Even if a hit was below threshold, some signal could still sneak through. More forgiving for drummers less consistent than, say, a Steve Gadd...

[@BadChizzle]

Bill Crane yes... I’m sure it’s something we mutually know. Steve and I. But in the DAW these days, many things can happen that once couldn’t.

[@melockavich9596]

I still use mine today somedays you want to here the 70s sound again I run it with a carver c1 and to make it pop a phase 700 .

[@economicsjingle]

Damn no popol vuh quadrophonic records to spin?

[@Geoduck.]

Steve the word you were looking for is "Steaming Pile". Back in the day we all called that stuff Blazelinear. Calling Mr. Carver a conman maybe a bit harsh but…...

[@CharlesCoderre-yv1cu]

we called it Flame Linear

[@trekjudas]

My secondary system is a vintage system (except for the CD player)

[@joybrucebruce3377]

Not sure about a collector grade restoration as opposed to having Audio Research turn it into SP3C. They basically rebuild it for you and get rid of unsafe or obsolete parts. Explain the logic to me when you review that preamp.

[@benjaminpaulh5249]

Steve, are they tekton enzo 2.7’s? When’s the review coming?

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

No, it’s the 2-10 perfect set, review in a week or so

[@benjaminpaulh5249]

Steve Guttenberg Audiophiliac thanks Stevie G! 🙃

[@thedanny2249]

I had the Phase linear 4000 coupled with phase linear 400 amp , pr. of Bose 901s. And Thorens td115 turntable. I thought l was something! I laughed, because, your review , was right on! I later traded for Adcom gfa, gfp, gft 555s and Dynaudio speakers. Recently, l purchased a Pioneer plx-1000 turntable and a Nagaoka mp-110 cartridge. Love your reviews!

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Thanks

[@Audiojunkabus]

It is interesting to me how 9 out of 10 times when I purchase a new piece that is touted to be exceptional I wind up selling it and going back to my solid state gear circa 1970"s. Guess I am a product of my generation.

[@violin-schwerin]

How about the opposite: Croft acoustics reviews?

[@tjiddesvensson4658]

You are showing a picture of a 700 b ampilfier , that is the second generation of amps ! They dont sound good ? They sound amazing

[@SuperMcgenius]

I used to sell Phase Linear, was not a good preamp, my Dayton Wright preamp killed it.

[@StewartMarkley]

Sounds like it's only the tone controls and loudness function you liked Steve. Better watch out, the audio purists will start trolling you 😵