Veloce Audio - Lithio Series - LS-1 Line Stage Tube Preamplifier with SmartSupply Battery Power

Free Shipping on *ALL* Electronics (Excluding Speakers, Contiguous 48 US States Only)

Rare tube preamp from Veloce Audio, made right here in the USA in Pennsylvania.

One of the most unique and best sounding designs that have come across our shop. It utilizes a SmartSupply outboard power supply for superior noise reduction and lower interference.

This piece looks brand new without a scratch or fingerprint. It's possibly NOS / new old stock, but we cannot confirm.

Working perfectly and fully tested in our lab and listening room.

Harry Pearson (former editor of The Absolute Sound Magazine) says it all:

"The LS-1 may be the most nearly flawless piece of audio equipment in our present-day reference systems. It is devoid of the sonic signatures and colorations of all the other line stage devices I have ever tested. It is, essentially, the least colored, or, read that as, the most transparent piece of electronic gear in our present-day chain of reference gear."

The tube gain stage now sports paralleled 6H30 tubes. They are still tied to a flexible dead-quiet stepped attenuator for the darkest possible “background”.

The power for the audio circuit is provided by batteries, but new to this Lithio Series LS-1 the supply is now LOW VOLTAGE and DUAL MONO … +/- 40 Volts to be precise. The linearity and resolution has been markedly improved and your precious audio signal IS STILL isolated from the AC mains. Tube biasing continues to be handled by our unique UltraBias™ battery bias system.

And we strongly recommend you head over to avshowroom.com and check out Peter Breuninger's multiple video reviews on this LS-1. It will give you the full story on this mighty preamp.

The LS1 is a two box design with charger and supply separated from the all important main unit by a detachable umbilical cord. The main unit houses all tube circuits and the batteries. All panels on the unit save the top and bottom clamshell are made from stress relieved 6061 aircraft aluminum. The front panel is two piece affair comprised of a chrome front bar and handles mounted to a grained and anodized back plate. Manual switches and a remote control (volume/mute/input select/on-off) make up the user interface. The back panel includes an array or single ended and XLR inputs and outputs.

$18,000 original MSRP

Click here for a PDF copy of the Veloce Audio LS-1 Preamplifier

And click here to see our matching Veloce Audio Lithio Series Saetta Tube Monoblocks

Our Testing Process for Preamplifiers (All) at SkyFi:

We start with a visual inspection of all internal components to make sure there are no signs of stress or aging. Capacitors are checked for telltale sings of bulging or leaking, resistors are checked for signs of overheating or cracking, and transistors are checked for signs of stress or damage. Special attention is paid to the power supply which is the most common source of failure for preamps. We then power up the unit and run a simple 1k sine wave while monitoring the low voltage output on an oscilloscope for signs of distortion or noise to get a baseline.

At this point we will lubricate and clean all switches and potentiometers (that are not sealed) with a high quality contact cleaner, and then re-test all functions for any signs of noise or scratching.

Final testing involves putting actual music through the preamplifier We have learned over time that some issues are only noticeable to a trained ear while listening to a familiar source material. Our test bench has reference vintage Kef speakers that we are super familiar with which will quickly reveal any discrepancies. Some preamps will then move into the listening room where they will be tested with our in-house reference system.

Please click here for detailed specifics regarding our specialized packing process that separates us from the rest.