I’ve been looking at preamps for a long time and have considered pres like the K & K mir,
Allnic L3000 mk2, Cary SLP 98 and Herron VTPH 3a. Our own Charles Rollo has stated on a
number of occasions that the Audio Hungary 204 is a superb preamp and great value for the
money (it retails for $2,000). I had never heard of this company, but started reading up on it
and looking at some YouTube videos. The idea of buying a foreign product and one that I hadn’t
heard of wasn’t very appealing.
But the more I looked at the other products and their pricing, the more interested I became in
the 204. I also sent some emails to the company and received prompt responses. Charles has
access to great equipment while I don’t. So his comments, for me, were very much worth
paying attention to.
I finally took the plunge and it arrived a few days ago. The packaging was meticulous
and the build quality was superb. It has a very comfortable remote and even has material on the
underside ..maybe leather...so that it doesn’t scratch a wood finish for example or make a
sound like my metal Antelope dac remote when I put it on my glass coffee table.
Right out of the box, it sounded very good. So good, in fact, that I emailed Charles to ask if
AH did some break in on these. Sure enough, they put 100 hours on them at the factory.
The 204 has a very natural and engaging sound and is a perfect complement to the ICE amp
and Border Patrol dac. It resolves very nicely and is enticing and fun to listen to. I’ve been listening
to new stuff on Tidal for the last few days, but I’d say the soundstage has widened a bit as well.
I will be considering adding a Synergistic Blue fuse....the latest that Charles likes.
So I’m very, very pleased with this purchase and I got a very nice discount as well 👍....thanks Charles.
My only nitpick is it has an annoying white led, just like my Antelope dac. Maybe it’s time for a
blue marker
I highly recommend this unit and it has an internal phono stage as well!
Nick