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On this cut, the Alana performed as remembered. The bass was cleaner than the Seven but lacked in weight and impact. The vocal was equally smooth but the Seven showed more tonal colors and was more harmonically refined and nuanced throughout the range. The Alana’s soundstage air and depth also suffered by comparison.  Simply put, there was less evidence of the recorded magic. For those looking for clear statements from reviewers, here’s one - I would definitely choose the Tron Seven over the Alana.

Keeping the same CD in play, I switched back to the Hovland again. (With each preamp switch, I gave ample of warm-up time before critical listening.) On cut 7 again, the vocal was placed more forward in the soundstage. The Hovland had a very airy and open soundstage. It was more enveloping and bloomed into the room in an intoxicating manner that demanded attention. The speakers disappeared more than with either of the other two preamps at hand. On "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", the bass was crisp, clean and extended.


In case you haven’t figured it out, I really like my Hovland preamp and have used it for a number of years. The demise of the company put me into mourning. I am hoping that it will be revived. If you ask me, Hovland’s best product was the HP-100. It is a classic. In fact, a friend of mine bought one and has kept it sealed in the box as an investment! When Hovland extended their line, I felt they got away from some of the real value that was so evident in this preamp.


Many of the original owners of the HP-100 probably did not stick with it through the several factory upgrades and opted to sell instead. Upgrades can be a risky venture. Each upgrade (I had three done to my early serial number unit) brought a real and significant improvement. It also takes some real dedication and access to NOS tubes to dial in the best tube complement with the Hovland and many users simply don’t want to put in the effort. I spent hours tube rolling and came up with a combination of the factory-recommended JJ Tesla tubes and NOS valves as the best.



I’ve always felt that the selection of a preamp is a crucial decision in building a system. Over the years, I have had more difficulty finding the right preamp than any other component. For the reader’s perspective, here is my own personal chronological list of preamps that I have owned and used in my main system over the past twenty years: Melos GK-1+1, Conrad Johnson PV-9A, Berning TF-12, CAT SL1, Bruce Moore Companion line stage with Michell ISO HR phono stage, EVS passive attenuator with Michell ISO phono stage, Audio Research Ref One line stage with Audio Research PH3SE phono stage, Audio Research Ref One with Michell ISO HR phono stage, Loesch and Wiesner custom (now Tempo Electric), Hovland HP-100. There have been numerous others (e.g. Joule LA-100, Threshold FET10, Conrad Johnson Premier III, Audio Note, Esmilla, Juicy Music Blueberry etc.) that I had in my main or secondary system.


The fact that the Tron Seven line stage rivaled my favorite Hovland HP-100 is high praise indeed. In my initial listening to the Seven, I missed some of the punch of the Hovland. Over time, I grew to appreciate the sublime ease, superlative midrange and sheer musicality of the Seven.



Please do not be mislead by the relative brevity of my review. Although I was able to hear just about all of the sonic attributes of the Tron Seven within the first few minutes of putting it in my system, I listened to many CDs over several months. It is simply that these CD selections illustrated everything I needed to say. Keeping in mind 6moons’ international readership, Graham Tricker pointed out that my U.S. price comparisons for the Tron Seven versus the Hovland HP-100 and other is quite different in the UK:"Something also to bear in mind is the price as I think you will find the Seven is significantly cheaper than the Hovland. It certainly was over here in the UK. When the Hovland first came to the UK, it was £5500 and it cost even more with the on-board phono stage version. The Seven Line stage now sells in the UK for £2300 and even with the matching Seven MC Phono stage the pair together come out to £4550 and you get MC too. The Reference versions obviously cost more but the performance goes up even further."


According to Graham Tricker, every single component on the audio board is different in the Tron Seven Reference version. Here in the U.S., the Seven Reference is priced at $8.000. It includes a special TDK Ko-on volume control made especially for Tron as well as silver wiring, better capacitors etc.  If the full-blown Reference is too pricey, the buyer can specify what they like regarding various other parts options and "build/upgrade to their individual requirements and budget." 


If the Seven Reference brought greater dynamics and transient attacks, it could persuade me to replace my Hovland HP-100. However on the surface, the price increase for parts upgrades to the Reference version seems steep.  As it stands now, I would view purchasing the standard Seven as a tradeoff. Living with either would be satisfying but there would always be a fond remembrance over the strengths of the other.For readers looking to purchase a new tube preamp backed by a generous five-year warranty, the standard Tron Seven is a strong contender

While I have not heard the Reference version in my home—I did hear it at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2009—my own feeling is that the price increase for these upgrades is steep. However, assessing the value of the standard Tron Seven, it is a strong performer at its $4,000 sticker. It may not rewrite sonic performance at this level but it takes no back seat to any preamp I have heard in terms of musicality.
Quality of packing: Simple and effective, heavy duty cardboard with the standard molded foam end pieces - not overdone.
Reusability of packing: At least three of four times.
Ease of unpacking/repacking: Very easy.
Condition of component received: Flawless.
Completeness of delivery: Complete.
Warranty: 5 year parts and labor.
Human interactions: Prompt and courteous emails from across the pond, always to the point.
Pricing: Good value for standard Seven considering boutique production.
Final comments & suggestions: A second pair of RCA output jacks would be nice but I’m sure the buyer could specify this.

Manufacturers reply:
I would like to thank Steve Marsh and 6moons for their very positive review of the Tron Seven Line stage. It's very gratifying to see Steve clearly identified one of the characteristics I try and design into all of my equipment regardless of level, that of musicality. It's a difficult thing to pin down – what is it, where does it come from, how is that some components have it and others do not - but musicality takes precedence for me because I have to ask: without music, what is the point of hi-fi?


The Tron Seven line stage supplied for review is Tron’s most basic entry level preamp and was designed to introduce my customers to Tron equipment at an affordable price point; it was never meant to compete against a state of the art preamp like the Hovland HP-100. The fact that Steve found it comparable with the Hovland is a testament to its design and implementation; I am proud to say that we aim to offer not only excellent price vs. performance, but also the very best performance available today with our higher-level preamps such as the Seven Reference and the Syren.


I should also point out the large price disparity between the Tron and the Hovland in our European markets. In the UK the Tron Seven sells at dealers for £2300 whereas the Hovland last sold for £7995 before the company ceased trading (In the EU the Tron Seven sells for approximately 2500 euros and the Hovland last sold for 7500 euros). If you check out the component quality within the Seven you will see that nothing at an equivalent price point has the same level of component and build quality.


I would like your readers to be clear on this point as I didn't feel it came through in the review – the basic Seven under review therefore sells in the EU for almost one quarter of the price of the final version of the HP-100 used for comparison (shipping and taxes obviously reduce this price advantage a little to my US customers, but nevertheless I think they would have found the basic Seven an extremely attractive alternative were the HP-100 still available to buy).


The Seven range was designed to a price point but all the equipment Tron produce are bespoke to our customer's needs and in this I believe we offer an exceptional service, one which is very much appreciated by our customer base. The Seven Reference out sells the basic Seven in the US, providing increased transparency, soundstage width and depth, dynamic and harmonic realism – but all retaining the natural musicality of the basic model, which gives my customers such pleasure.

Graham Tricker

Tron website