Being blown away by the musicality of the Great American Sound amplifier, and finding that it’s 40WPC rating into 8 ohms was plenty of power for 99% of the time I was eager to try a Great American Sound preamp. After reading many blogs and forum posts I came to the conclusion that the family of preamps by Great American Sound all sound very similar. Makes sense, same designer same design philosophy, features being the biggest distinguishing factor. I researched the marketing materials and found that the Thalia preamp was the matching preamp for Grandson. Sold, I began searching.
I located a pristine example for sale from the original owner who was downsizing after retirement and moving South. A deal was struck and I was off to pick it up.
I find that audio enthusiasts have so much in common. Music being the obvious connection. This is different than say the Audiophile. For the Audiophile, gear is the connection. I used to be an Audiophile, but my objectives and the entire way I used to select gear was changing. I no longer read spec sheets, or cared about owning a specific brand of equipment. I was off to find what was the most musical. What sounded right, not impressive, like ridiculous bass or volume, but what could immulate a live performance in small and large venues. I want tone, texture, and feel.
When I got the Thalia home I immediately put it into my system. Unfortunately I don’t have any crummy iPhone shots of it, just a photo taken after I cleaned it up taken on my art table. Thalia sounded excellent, very detailed and natural. I honestly can’t pinpoint any one character to describe its sound. I suppose that is a good thing for many as it didn’t color anything one way or the other. The source material was delivered in an honest manner. Therefore, to me that was Thalia’s biggest flaw. When I am in a local pub, listening to a jazz trio for example, I not only hear the band, but the sound of the room, which colors the music a bit. There are some jazz clubs in Chicago that are amazing, because of the sonic structure of the space the musicians are playing in. You notice this mostly with acoustic music, piano, drums and double bass and voice. If you are looking to hear precisely what’s in the grooves, or on your tapes this or any other GAS preamp could be just what you’re looking for. The search continued.
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