Blue Circle Pre-Amp BC3-PLS

The Blue Circle BC3 PLS is a dual mono tube linestage preamplifier. It is also fully upgradeable all the way to the BC3000GZpz. This BC3 PLS has all the same features functions and options as the rest of the BC3 lineup. I bought this fine pre-amp from an AudiogoN member 3 years ago and it has had infrequent use, as I am doing mostly home theater, and thus the sale. It currently has as options, the dual Shallco's with remote volume, blue chassis, and home theatre bypass. It has 2 sets of main outputs for home theatre, or sub woofer use. It has been in my system for 3 years along with my matching BC 202 Amplifier, also for sale here on AudiogoN. I am open to a combined offer. No visible scratches or issues. I have recently reduced the price. In my 30 years in high end audio, I feel this equipment is very pure sounding and better than many pre-amps I have owned in the past. I will include a spare unused 6922 tube and include shipping to US buyers on the pre-amp only. PayPal is extra. I can't go into all the details about the BC3, but perhaps a description of the volume controls will illustrate the attention to detail that goes into its crafting. Each channel has its own volume control, totally hand-assembled from matched pairs of precision metal-film resistors, forming a true mono-ladder attentuator. Each of the 31 unique position contacts is constructed from military-grade coin silver and is self-cleaning. Each control takes approximately four hours to assemble. This is not a production preamp. * external transformer power supply * upgradeable all the way up to the BC3000GZpz. (in 4 steps) * optional additions are USB input, phono stage, headphone output, and balanced configuration From the Manufacturer ; In the ten years or so since its introduction the BC3 design has remained essentially unchanged. Our attitude is that if a product is designed properly it shouldn't require regular upgrades and tweaks. This attitude is supported by the fact that the BC3 is still extremely popular and well regarded by the audiophile community. The BC3 preamplifiers epitomize what Blue Circle Audio is all about. They typify how we believe components should be designed and crafted. They are not the most expensive components we make, nor are they the least expensive. They are the "meat-and-potatoes" components for that special someone who is deadly serious about music reproduction and doesn't have a totally unlimited budget. No bells and whistles, no remote controls (OK...we've become a bit more flexible on this one), no exotic cosmetic treatments and no submission to some fad or design dogma. Every penny you spend on these components is dedicated to music and simple elegance. Preamps build around vacuum tubes simply sound better. There are good sounding solid-state preamps, and there are bad sounding tube preamps. But given the choice, when cost is not an overriding issue, tubes are the way to go. Here are some of the things that make the BC3 (MKII) worthy of your attention: Still.. Dual Triode Single-ended Class A Topology Still.. Totally dual mono in the signal path including volume and input selector controls Still.. Totally handcrafted featuring point to point hardwiring and no PCB's in the signal path Still.. Extremely high gain and current capability for long interconnect runs Still.. only 5 resistors per channel Still.. hand-built one at a time, run and tested for 50 hours and personally inspected by Gilbert before shipping Upgrade to the Mark II 200% greater capacitance than the original in onboard power supply dual HexFred rectifiers all new internal wiring Rubber feet....yes rubber! silicone bubble mount tube sockets...trickle down tech from the AG3000 ultra high speed power supply caps used in the on board power supply double the capacitance on output coupling caps for improved bass low profile main chassis with indicator dots on faceplate for volume controls....no more counting clicks volume control high/low level switch - with the high low volume switch there are a total of 62 volume settings available improved wiring layout for lower noise 1% metal film resistor used throughout DC power cord made in house by Blue Circle Blue or black covers for preamp instead of stainless available upon request (power supply remain stainless only..or in the case of the Despina black only) When matched with the BCG3 MKII the integrated preamp is called the BC3 DESPINA MKII. The BCG3 MKII comes in a simple black metal case with an integrated dc cord that mates with the BC3 MKII. It features: High current toroid transformer High speed recovery diodes Massive filtering Double Reverse Twisted dc cord for RF noise suppression Mark II ...B+ rectifiers mounted in silicone for vibration control The BCG3.1 MKII Power Supply BCG3.1 MKII Power Supply When matched with the BCG3.1 MKII the integrated preamp is called the BC3 GALATEA MKII. The BCG3.1 MKII comes in a beautiful stainless steel case that matches the BC3. It has a detachable dc cord custom manufactured by Blue Circle. The BCG3.1 MKII features: Dual toroid transformers for greater current capability Hexfed Ultrafast Soft Recovery rectifier diodes 200% more ac filtering and 300% more filament filtering Integrated Power Line Pillow ac powerline conditioner Mark II... B+ rectifiers mounted in silicone for vibration control ... Seperate B+ power transformer and rectifier ... DC and AC filtering 200% greater than original BCG3.1 ... Filament filtering is 2.5 times greater than original BCG3.1 Technical Information BC3 : *5 Line level inputs, 1 loop input (3 line level inputs for balanced version) *Optional USB input available *2 Pre-amp outputs, 1 loop output *Tube complement: 2-6922 *Power requirement: 120Vac 50/60Hz 38Watts - available in 100, 220, 240 Vac *Dimensions: -Main chassis: 17.5" (width) x 3.25" (height) x 14.6" (depth) -BCG3: 5.25" (width) x 3.25" (height) x 8.25" (depth) -BCG3.1: 6" (width) x 5.375" (height) x 14.6" (depth) Weight (without packaging): -BC3: 35 lbs. -BCG3: 5lbs. -BCG3.1: 16lbs. For detailed photos of the BC3 Despina and Galatea visit the BC gallery.