Blue Circle Audio BC-21.1 Tube Preamp with Stepped Attenuator, WOW

Blue Circle BC21.1 Tube Preamp with Stepped Attenuator Volume $999

Super rare and unique tube preamp from Canadian maker Blue Circle.  Features a unique and highly regarded stepped attenuator for volume control which many swear its the best and cleanest approach to volume control.  

This unit has been fully tested in our lab and listening and it working to spec and sounding wonderfully warm and accurate. 

Cosmetically its near perfect with no sings of use or abuse.  The brushed stainless faceplate is intact and the wooden knobs are free from fingerprint or wear marks.  

Includes just he preamp, nothing else.  See bellow for product description.  

This item will be professionally packaged and insured for safe transit to your home.   If we don’t have the original manufactures packaging we use heavy duty double ply corrugated boxes with Instapak expanding foam custom inserts which has proven in many cases to be better than original packaging.  We also use high quality fiber reinforced tape to seal our packages.  Light weight times will be bubble wrapped and shipped in a high quality box. 

This item available for pickup in Ridgewood, NJ or Union Square NYC (with convenient parking in the building).

NJ Residents or anyone picking up without a resale certificate will need to pay NJ Sales Tax.

Use the buy it now button and we will cover the PayPal fees.

Thanks for looking and be sure to call or text 646 852 2073 with any questions. 

Please visit our Audiogon e-store to see the rest of the items we have for sale www.audiogon.com/stores/skyfi

DESCRIPTION COURTESY OF Hometheaterhifi.com

The BC21.1 is Blue Circle's entry level tube preamp. It is a simple two-channel design with top notch sonics that could be the center of an audiophile's two-channel system. The design uses a pair of 6922 tubes, which are one of my favorite preamp tubes. The chassis is consistent with the Blue Circle signature designs (thank goodness no red shoes here) and is heavy for its size. The front is polished stainless steel, and the rest of the chassis is made of heavy gauge metal.

The BC21.1's wooden knobs control volume, balance, and selection of three inputs, while the small toggle switches control the tape loop and power. To keep with the wood theme, instead of rubber feet, the BC21.1 sits on top of three wooden feet, which means you will never end up with the matchbook under the table leg scenario even if Gilbert's feet are not cut to perfect tolerance. The single ended RCA inputs are gold plated and of high-quality.

The BC21.1 uses a standard IEC detachable power cord, which will make it easy to upgrade for those of you who believe in that sort of thing. Input labeling is silk screened both right-side up and upside down.  This can be particularly useful when looking over the top of the unit.  The large control knobs of the BC21.1 give a sense of very fine adjustment, somewhat similar to a large knob on an old tuner. 

For volume control, the 21.1 has three options. The base option is a standard pot which can be upgraded to an RF based remote control pot or a Shallco 31 point stepped attenuator. For those of you not familiar with stepped attenuators, they control volume by using a single resistor for each volume setting. This eliminates using a carbon or conductive plastic pot which may have less then desirable sonic properties. It also allows for almost perfect left and right channel tracking if high tolerance resistors are used. Both the standard pot and the Shallco version were tested during the review period.

Sonically, the standard pot was adequate, but had two issues in my setup. It was much too sensitive with amplifiers with both of my solid state amplifiers. Secondly, it did not track the left and right channels together at very low volume. Using my Sonic Frontiers Power 1, a tube amp, with a much lower power rating than the solid state amps I had no problems with the stock volume pot. However, using solid state amplifiers such as my B&K or Anthem, the pot was far too sensitive and usually in a location which exhibited poor linear tracking.  The problem is cause by the overall gain of the amp and preamp combo being substantially higher with the solid state amps. This problem is easily resolved by adding a resistor to Blue Circle's point-to-point wired equipment. If a customer experiences this problem, Blue Circle will make the necessary circuit change.

The Shallco pot on the other hand worked perfectly with both solid state and tube amplification. Gilbert claims to have taken years to figure out the perfect resistor values to work optimally with all types of amplifiers. The Shallco is set up using a non-linear ramp such that the attenuation points near the bottom are more sensitive than the ones at the top. This works perfect in my situation where I need small adjustments for late night listening, but stretching a couple of dB in either direction will not make much difference at loud volumes.

Although there was a 2-3 week gap while the Shallco was installed, I do feel there was a sonic improvement. My personal recommendation is to buy the Shallco up front, you will not be disappointed. However, if you do purchase the stock pot it can be upgraded at a later date.

Blue Circle also offers a remote control option with the BC 21.1. This involves using a motorized conductive plastic pot, which has similar sonics and issues as the stock pot, but is controlled via an RF based remote control. Yes, I said RF based, so you can control the volume from another room. Blue Circle does not necessarily recommend this option as they believe the Shallco provides the best sonic performance, but they do realize some users, such as my wife, would rather have the remote than ultimate sonics.

WHO WE ARE 

Skyfi Audio is a small startup business specializing in the purchase, reconditioning and reselling of select high end audio equipment.  We only buy equipment the we admire and are passionate about.  No mid-fi, no gimmicks and no junk.  

Each piece of equipment is cosmetically restored and fully tested in our well-equipped lab by an engineer with 30+ years of experience in the Hifi world.  If it does not meet or exceed the original manufactures specifications, it will not be sold.  We are select about the equipment we purchase, focusing on mostly analog, high-build quality, American and European built units.

Through our sister company, which is an authorized dealer for McIntosh, Audio Research, Sonus Faber, ClearAudio, Project and Sony ES, we have access to OEM parts and service support.  If you are local and are looking for any new equipment for the above mentioned manufacturers, please drop us a line as we can arrange both sales and professional installation in the tri-state area

PURCHASING GUIDELINES

We do not accept of review any offers that do not go through the official Audiogon system.  We have too many items for sale and its nearly impossible to keep track offers outside the system.  Please don’t message, email or text any offers. 

If you do not see a “make an offer” button, it means we are not considering any offers on that item.  

PAYMENTS

We prefer working through PayPal, which allows you to use a credit card or bank transfer.  We do not charge extra for any payment fees if you purchase the item at the asking price.  You can also send us a personal check (which will need to clear before shipping), certified check, money order or wire transfer.  International clients without access to PayPal should use a bank wire transfer. 

If you are picking up an item, we don not accept PayPal, you must pay in person with cash, certified or bank check or wire transfer.  If you make a PayPal payment and are picking up the item it will be returned. 

TRADE IN POLICY 

We accept trade-ins of equal or lesser value under certain conditions.  Simply ask and let us know the exact model, condition and what accessories are included such as a box, remote, manual, etc.  We will only consider high-end equipment from mainstream manufacturers such as McIntosh, Mark Levinson, Audio Research, Krell, etc. and will typically pass on displays, projectors, receivers, dated processors and mid-fi equipment of any type.  We will offer a fair value for your equipment, but keep in mind we are running a business and will need to be able to sell the equipment at a profit after investing a great deal of time and resources in testing, certifying, repairing, cleaning and packaging the incoming equipment.  If you are looking for top dollar we suggest attempting to sell it directly to an end user.  

SELL US YOUR GEAR (Working or Broken)

We will also purchase your used or broken gear and arrange pickup if you are in our local market.  Just drop us a note for a quote, but be sure to include the condition and what is included.  

HOW TO VISIT US

We are currently operating from a residence in Ridgewood, NJ.  You are welcome to make an appointment if there is a piece of equipment you would like to see in operation before or after purchase.  We have a well-equipped, dedicated listening room with tons of equipment of all makes and models.  We are not a store, so please don’t make an appointment if you are just curious as to how a speaker or piece of equipment sounds.  In essence, no tire kickers please.  

If you are in NYC and cannot make it out to Ridgewood, we can arrange pickup in Union Square (14th Street) after the purchase.   You can call or text  (646) 852-2073 with any questions or to schedule an appointment.  We can also arrange to install, calibrate and tune the gear in your listening room if you are in the local area.  This is super useful when purchasing large speakers or heavy amplifiers.  It is also great for ensuring your new turntable is setup correctly in its final resting place.  

Thanks for looking and please send us your email address if you would like to receive a list of the equipment we receive from time to time.  We promise not to bombard you with junk email.  

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