Tubes Asylum: REVIEW: Wright Sound Company WLA 12 Preamplifier (Tube) by Jack G

It's an interesting pre. The build quality seems OK-solid and reasonably heavy for its size. Its cute as a button really, being 6X10X5. Fit and finish is good, but you won't mistake it for a Jadis.

Brief overview:
It's a line stage, 5 inputs, 2 outs, Rectification by a 6X5 filtering by a 6EM7, uses 2 6SN7s as drivers. It has switchable Hi (20db) or low (12db) gain-this actually makes it more like 2 preamps, since they sound a little different. Since it came with Phillips JAN 6SN7WGTAs (1985 Emporium PA-nothing special) I switched them with my CBS 5692s (1961) to give it a better chance, and give me something familiar to the sound.

Overall impressions:
Harmonics are very good. Timbre is also very good. Detail retrieval is excellent, better than my Emotive pre-notes decay longer now. Pace is excellent. Imaging is superb and soundstage, tonal balance , macrodynamics depend on Hi/Lo position (more on that in a bit). Transparency is good-very good, but i think i can improve it with a better rectifier (it too is a late phillips), but is also dependant on Hi/Lo position.

Hi gain: Cool crisp detailed sound with very deep controlled bass. the soundstage is extremely deep and wide. Images are small and very tightly focused. The sound is fast, and dynamic, with gobs of slam. The "visuals" are extremely apparent and "transparency" is very good. It does have that "contrasty" sound that Dudley mentioned with the other pre in Listener (it must be the house sound). The term *vivid* is probably a better word. In Hi gain, it is extremely VIVID sounding. Those that like the sound of Tice Cables will like this preamp. Those people that go for the visual aspects of sound (i.e. Gallos owners) will like the hi gain. Transients are lightning fast and leading edges are slightly exaggerated-this may contribute to the vividness. It does many things well, but I was constantly aware that I was listening to equipment when in hi gain.

Lo gain: This setting is a totally separate beast. The sound is warm and extremely smooth. The bass isn't quite as prominent,but is still fast and tuneful. There is a roundness to the sound. The perspective is a tad closer, giving the music a more intimate. immediate sound.It is clearly more "organic" than hi gain mode. the soundstage is HUGE, and images are more lifelike and life size. Female vocals border on the obscene.:-) The leading edges are slightly softened, similar to what ESP speakers do. Detail is at least as good as the hi gain, and better than my Emotive. I tend to forget I'm listening to a stereo when its in lo gain. Down side of lo? If you're a rapper, forget it-not that much slam. The bass is deep and relatively tight, but not as prominent or controlled as hi gain. Basically, the Lo gain has the same positive attributes as my Wavelength Cardinals, has a SET-like sound and matches my system very well.

Final thoughts:
This preamp is not for everyone, and it DOES have a personality(2 in fact). Whether or not it is for you is another story-it is worth an audition tho, with the caveat that it will need tubes swapped. It is a VERY good buy, if it fits your needs, and is a bargain at <$700. While I can imagine the Hi gain being preferred by some people, I preferred the Lo gain setting. Some of the minor faults can be attributed to the tubes too. I ended up using Sylvania Brown base 6SN7WGTs. I ended up doing most of my listening in Lo gain mode. When I would put a disc on for critical listening, I would forget, and 15 minutes later I would suddenly realize that I was supposed to be listening critically.

REVIEW: Wright Sound Company WLA 12 Preamplifier (Tube) Review by Jack G at Audio Asylum