Jim,
There seems to be a general rule of thumb here on the boards that a 10:1 ratio of amp to preamp is sufficient. That means that a preamp with a output impedence of 600 ohms should be fine with any amp with an input impedence of 6Kohm or higher. I don't really agree with this, I tend to think that ARC's requirements of 25 or 30:1 as a minimum is a better estimate. Meaning a preamp with an output impedence of 600 ohms should not be mated with a amp that has a input impedence of under 18K ohms. Generally the higher the ratio the better. For example, my preamp has a 600 ohm output impedence and my amp has a 50K input impedence. When you have an impedence mismatch you tend to hear it as rolled off bass and highs.
If I remember correctly, the McCormack and Pass amp have input impedence's in the 10K-20K range, which is relatively low for a power amp. Many tube amps have an input impedence of 100K-200K ohms. Tube preamps have higher output impedences than their solid state brethren. Many solid state preamps have output impedence under 100 ohms. So the danger is when you match a SS amp with a relatively low input impedence with a tube preamp with a high output impedence. I don't know what the output impedence of your CJ preamp is.
IMHO, going from a PV-5 to a PV-11 will not accomplish much, it's still a warm sounding CJ product. You seem to be looking in around the same price range that I am now in, as I paid $1125 each for my Coda Model 11 and my VAC Auricle. I have owned much more expensive gear, but these units can hang with just about any gear. The VAC is a full function preamp, so I don't need an additional phono stage. Also, I like the Coda Model 11 a lot, because after living with tube amps for a few years, I find that Class A solid state makes it the easiest to transition back to solid state gear. The best SS amps I've ever owned, Coda, Clayton Audio and Threshold, were all pure Class A designs.
Another thought is to try a used VAC Avatar Super integrated amp. Those amps are fabulous, you should be able to get one for under $3K and it will be very hard to beat for that $$$. Your speakers are a bit low on the sensitivity side, but are 8 ohm loads and you have a relatively small room, so 80 wpc of tube power should be plenty. The VAC preamp section is much faster and more transparent than a CJ preamp.
Cheers,
John
There seems to be a general rule of thumb here on the boards that a 10:1 ratio of amp to preamp is sufficient. That means that a preamp with a output impedence of 600 ohms should be fine with any amp with an input impedence of 6Kohm or higher. I don't really agree with this, I tend to think that ARC's requirements of 25 or 30:1 as a minimum is a better estimate. Meaning a preamp with an output impedence of 600 ohms should not be mated with a amp that has a input impedence of under 18K ohms. Generally the higher the ratio the better. For example, my preamp has a 600 ohm output impedence and my amp has a 50K input impedence. When you have an impedence mismatch you tend to hear it as rolled off bass and highs.
If I remember correctly, the McCormack and Pass amp have input impedence's in the 10K-20K range, which is relatively low for a power amp. Many tube amps have an input impedence of 100K-200K ohms. Tube preamps have higher output impedences than their solid state brethren. Many solid state preamps have output impedence under 100 ohms. So the danger is when you match a SS amp with a relatively low input impedence with a tube preamp with a high output impedence. I don't know what the output impedence of your CJ preamp is.
IMHO, going from a PV-5 to a PV-11 will not accomplish much, it's still a warm sounding CJ product. You seem to be looking in around the same price range that I am now in, as I paid $1125 each for my Coda Model 11 and my VAC Auricle. I have owned much more expensive gear, but these units can hang with just about any gear. The VAC is a full function preamp, so I don't need an additional phono stage. Also, I like the Coda Model 11 a lot, because after living with tube amps for a few years, I find that Class A solid state makes it the easiest to transition back to solid state gear. The best SS amps I've ever owned, Coda, Clayton Audio and Threshold, were all pure Class A designs.
Another thought is to try a used VAC Avatar Super integrated amp. Those amps are fabulous, you should be able to get one for under $3K and it will be very hard to beat for that $$$. Your speakers are a bit low on the sensitivity side, but are 8 ohm loads and you have a relatively small room, so 80 wpc of tube power should be plenty. The VAC preamp section is much faster and more transparent than a CJ preamp.
Cheers,
John