I was offered an in home demo of a Peachtree Grand Pre

[wgscott]

Just to be on the safe side, buy two and connect them in series.

 

[AudioDoctor]

but if my memory is not playing tricks on me, I think I heard sounds coming out of the opposite speaker than they normally come out of. It made me wonder. Either that or my Cary Integrated is phase inverting.

 

edit: I guess it could be the Wavelength DAC too...

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Inverting phase wouldn't necessarily give you sound out of the left speaker when it should be out of the right. Isn't that channel inversion :~)

 

 

 

[AudioDoctor]

I guess I could also have reversed the cables on the DAC previous to this...

 

[Brian A]

Put on some orchestral music: fiddles to left; basses to right.

 

[AudioDoctor]

I will do that.

 

[JimS]

unless you're south of the equator, then I think it's the other way around

 

[AudioDoctor]

So, what am I thinking about it now? I think that it blows the Nova and iNova right out of the water. I hope the new Nova Pre has these improvements as well, if so it will be a killer deal. Bill, that was for you.

 

The main characteristic I have been aware of is this, it is faithful to the recording or source in the case of my turntable and phono amp. Different albums sound different, not the same as they would if the pre-amp were coloring the sound. I find it to be very neutral with a hint of warmth or beauty to the sound it provides. The Pre is also dead silent, I can not, with volume cranked, hear anything with headphones plugged in and no music playing.

 

Another thing I have noticed is the quality of the Bass. Powerful and tuneful, at the same time. Kicking when it needs to be, and never more than is on the recording. Right now, listening to Time Out, Joe Morellos drums are here in the room on the left. The bass is playing back and to the right, Brubeck in the center on the piano keeping time. It sounds wonderful. Nothing sounds exaggerated, nothing sounds out of place.

 

Everything on the recording, nothing less, nothing more. Thats what this Pre does, and that is what a Pre should do. It passed on the sound of my vinyl truthfully, without adding or detracting from the wonderful sounds the Cary Phono Pre puts out.

 

So, you may ask what associated equipment am I listening to this with. Well, we happen to be in the process of some remodeling at the family cabin so the system I put in place up there is living with me at the moment. It is the Peachtree Grand Pre, Rogue Audio M-180Monoblocks, and Focal 1027be speakers. Sources are a Mac Mini and my turntable/phono pre in my sig.

 

edit: IMO I prefer to use Pure Music for playback versus the other players available on the Mac. Just my opinion, I am sure not everyone will agree.

 

[AudioDoctor]

when turned off using both the front stand-by switch, and then the rear power switch, the state of the tube is not remembered and defaults to off when the Pre is turned back on.

 

When I turned it on this morning to start playing music, I thought something is off, perhaps it is going through a stage of break in. It did not sound bad, sounded quite nice actually, but still, different. Harder, colder, less tubey. Small differences to be sure, but still there. Then, I noticed the tubes were not switched into the circuit. One quick button press on the remote fixed that and it is back to sounding the way I remember it.

 

What can we learn from this? While the differences between tube in and out of the circuit are small, they are discernible.

 

[wgscott]

That works the same way on my Nova.

 

It is encouraging that you could hear the difference without prompting.

 

 

 

[AudioDoctor]

Pure Music/Vinyl, latest of each. For some reason I can not enable HOG mode with the Peachtree Grand Pre. Have I got something set up incorrectly?

 

When I enable "strict device validation" I get a message on the bottom of the Audio Set up screen seen below about not being able to enable HOG mode.

 

 

edit: here are the audio midi settings.

 

 

[AudioDoctor]

with either the Nova or iNova, but I have never turned them all the way off either. If I have, I never thought about the tube being switched in or out.

 

[shahed99]

I bought the Grand Integrated last week. Its a wonderful unit. It requires ~250 hours to full break in. I've only put about 50/60 hours. That being said, its improving everyday. I'm using a pair of Joseph Audio Pulsars with it. The sound is very refined, high resolution yet very musical. I had a W4s Dac-2 and Vincent SA-T8 preamp( later aeshthetix calypso old version). I used a PMC AML1 with my previous setup so can't offer a valid comparison. But If I've to guess, I'd say the dac + pre of GI is at least as good as my previous combo may be a little bit better. It should improve more.. waiting on it.

 

[AudioDoctor]

thanks for giving me a heads up on the Grand Integrated. Are you using a Mac with Pure Music by chance?

 

I am really starting to like the Grand Pre, it is a great sounding device. I think the DAC in the Grand series is very very close to my Wavelength Cosecant. So close it may come down to personal preference which is liked better.

 

[shahed99]

I'm using a SBT with CI Audio power supply, shunyata venom 3 pc and black cat veloce coax cable. Its a decent source. I wish I had a mac to try the Peachtree.

 

I've never heard the Cosecant dac. But its surely means Peachtree has done something right given that it compares favorably to such a reputed dac.

 

[AudioDoctor]

Tomorrow the Grand Pre goes back, someone else wants to hear it. That person is in for a treat. For the week and a few days I have had it in my house, it has become even more enchanting and enjoyable to listen to. The longer I played it, the better and more beautiful it sounded. At times the music was so beautiful and was so present in the room, it brought my GF to tears. The album being listened to at the time was the album That Eternal Day, by a local mens chorus called Cantus. Beautiful album, if you love choral music, go buy it.

 

When I listen, I listen mainly for the soul of the music, the emotions involved, whether or not the device evokes an emotional response in me. If the playback is missing the air, the space, the detail, and all those other things we like in our music, or if it overplays, them etching every note and drilling it into your brain, the soul goes missing. The emotion is lost. The Grand Pre recreates all the details on the recording, nothing more, nothing less. Never over emphasizing them, never downplaying them. Always putting the instruments and voices in their places per the recording. The adjectives that kept coming to mind while listening were, truthful, faithful, honest, musical, beautiful, dynamic, spacious, and emotional. If you have a great sounding recording, it will sound great out of the Grand Pre. If it is not so great sounding, the Grand Pre will not make it prettier.

 

When I first thought about getting this or the Grand Integrated, it was as a replacement/upgrade from the Peachtree iNova that has been doing duty in my home office for a while. After listening to the Grand Pre, I realized that this is way too good to stick in an office, I would never, ever get any work done. Instead, I am trying to figure out what amplifiers I want to pair it with so I can get it in my main system when the Cabin System goes back up to the lake. Cary 805AEs, here I come...

 

So, how does this compare to the Wavelength Cosecant? Well on specs alone they are rather similar, the Grand Pre plays up to 24/192, my Cosecant only goes to 24/96. Newer Cosecants, and mine too if I get the upgrade done, will play up to 24/192. Both are asynch USB as well. The sound between the two is so similar that it likely comes down to personal preference, and that would be a hard decision to make. The biggest difference between the two is the Cosecant plays nice with Win/Mac/Linux over USB, the Grand Pre, due to its need for special USB drivers is limited to Win/Mac over USB. The differences between the Cosecant and Linux versus the Mac Mini and Grand Pre are very subtle and small. Keep in mind that one of the dedicated players running Linux may sound even better than my Macbook booted into Ubuntu using the XFCE desktop and MPD/GMPC. The deciding factor for me anyway comes down to convenience. The Grand Pre is literally plug and play. Not once have I had to futz with anything other than installing the USB drivers. It has performed flawlessly with Pure Music and Audirvana Plus. I had a question I emailed to Peachtree last Friday, it was returned and answered Monday morning by John Derda himself, the “Ambassador of Awesome” at Peachtree. If the Grand Pre was compatible with the many Linux Appliances over USB, this would IMO be an absolute killer plug and play solution. Maybe Jesus should get on that! Also, keep in mind this has many other digital inputs, all of them are compatible with a Linux solution, AFAIK only the USB is limited to Win/Mac. I tested only the USB input from a new Mac Mini base model with 8Gbs of RAM running OSX 10.7.3 LION.

 

One last thing I think needs mentioning is this. Not once, even when playing ALL DAY, did the Grand Pre even get mildly warm to the touch. That says to me that it is running pretty efficiently, which is also a nice thing.

 

Associated equipment is as follows.

 

Mac Mini OSX Lion 10.7.3

Pure Music

Audirvana Plus

Various USB cables, all worked flawlessly and sounded great.

Rogue Audio M-180 Monoblocks

Focal 1027be speakers

Zu Audio Mission interconnects and Event speaker cables

 

[wgscott]

That is one of the best reviews I have ever read.

 

[AudioDoctor]

Are you being sarcastic Bill?

 

[shahed99]

Very well written review!

 

I can't make a fair comparison due to change of my speaker. But my overall experience mirrors yours. I'd have to emphasize on two special qualities you've mentioned emotional and musical. Many systems posses these two qualities on jazz or classical; feed them some well recorded rock music - not so much. Peachtree GI is exceptional in that regard. True it won't make a poorly sounded music listenable by some magic. But I was able to connect emotionally on all my favorite songs I played, good recording or not. That's rare. I'm sure that my Joseph Audio Pulsar has played a very important part in it too - it has a sweet sweet treble.

 

 

 

[wgscott]

No.

 

Occasionally I emit utterances that aren't poisoned with invective, and churlish double-meanings.

 

So what was it like, tube on vs. off? Is it always "better" to have the tube on?

 

[AudioDoctor]

and you too Bill. I never considered myself a very good review writer, so was not expecting this reaction.

 

You make a good point, that the Grand Pre seems to perform equally well on all types of music. That to me is a sign of a well designed device.

 

[AudioDoctor]

to have the tube on. Once I found out, accidentally I might add as I outlined above, what the tube was doing to the music I left it on. Once you hear it the difference is audible and noticeable.

 

I also preferred Pure Music over Audirvana. Seems to be better synergy with PM.

 

[AudioDoctor]

that playing music via the MOG desktop app to the Grand Pre, using the Play Through of Pure Music, the sound is absolutely amazing! Very listenable.

 

[Jon Derda]

Thank you for the very thorough and thoughtful review. We are in process of working on a Class 2 driverless solution that should make it a lot easier for Linux users to use Grand Series. I'm predicting / hoping / keeping my toes crossed that Grand will go driverless sometime this fall. Thanks again!

[AudioDoctor]

Thank you for the very thorough and thoughtful review. We are in process of working on a Class 2 driverless solution that should make it a lot easier for Linux users to use Grand Series. I'm predicting / hoping / keeping my toes crossed that Grand will go driverless sometime this fall. Thanks again!

 

If that happens, will I need a new device? Will it be upgradeable? Or will it be a software update?