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PLEASE match Advice Pass Labs X350.5 (20k) to Hovland HP-100 (2500ohms) Miss-match ???

GUYS / GALS NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE!

A friend said this preamp is outstanding and will sound great with Pass Labs amps and to not get caught up in the specs but the measurements say different.

Pass Labs X350.5 amplifier with input Impedance 30k ohms Balanced or 20k ohms Single ended* 
(*source Pass Labs Manual)  

Hovland HP-100 source impedance 2500ohms* 
(*source Stereophile) 

Guys / Gals, can I used my Pass Labs X350.5 amp with Hovland HP-100 preamp? Has anyone used Pass amps with Hovland pre's. I will be using Magico S5 Speakers and Bricasti M1SE DAC but want it to sound the best it can. Should I just stick with the Aesthetix Calypso pre I was leaning toward before my gut said to go for the Hovland HP-100

Hovland HP-100 Preamplifier: * Output impedance: approximately 2500 ohms or according to Atkinson, Hovland HP-100 (2500ohms) its source impedance was high at 2.4k ohms, rising to 4.3k ohms at 20Hz. The partnering power amplifier would best have an input impedance of at least 47k ohms if the bass is not to sound lean*. The Pass Labs doesn't meet the x10 requirement it is supposed to but it is sort of close when looking at it. What do you guys think? I am not sure what to do but you guys will know what to do?

Stereophile: Its input impedance was a usefully high 100k ohms in the midrange and bass, with just a small reduction to a still-high 86k ohms at 20kHz. Despite the claim that the HP-100 uses a cathode follower output stage, its source impedance was high at 2.4k ohms, rising to 4.3k ohms at 20Hz. The partnering power amplifier would best have an input impedance of at least 47k ohms if the bass is not to sound lean.

Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/hovland-hp-100-preamplifier-measurements#YZXZfGLbbL2COkLR.99 https://www.stereophile.com/content/hovland-hp-100-preamplifier-measurements#YZXZfGLbbL2COkLR.99
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fsmithjack OP
712 posts
 
Almarg - You are the man! Thank you 

Jim Perry - very good idea and certainly makes sense - but I'm buying used because new and demos are so much more money and my recent speaker purchase has the old audio fund barrel down to scraping status - I was hoping to spend $2k and also get a used XLR IC - for balanced as I have one already but thought to get a better pre now and get a cable later after saving a bit - the high $2k range seems to open the used pre world to so much more better options - the Pass XP-10 I have found is about a $1000 less then Reno's so that scraps that but thanks the is a good idea.

jond - wow that thing looks like a beast and right at my price range - I never noticed it - thanks - anyone know if this is a good one? I love the 6SN7 tube. I actually have a mint pair of NOS bad boys and Gray glass RCA tubes already?

yogiboy 

So here is what I have - all right about $3k and a just bit more than my target price but its doable. What do you guys think of these?

CJ CT-5
CJ ET3SE
CJ 17LS2

so bat vk-50se or the canary or these CJ's?? I am buying one today - thanks !!! 
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
The title of the ad for the Canary preamp refers to it as a CA-800, which is a one-chassis design (having a specified output impedance of 650 ohms), but the photo and the text indicate that it is a C800, which is a two-chassis design (having a specified output impedance of 1200 ohms). Also, I’m pretty certain that the word "maximum" which appears after the reference to a 1200 ohm output impedance applies to the subsequent spec on gain (meaning the gain that is provided when the volume control is at max), not to the output impedance spec. So I would be wary of the possibility that the output impedance could be considerably higher than 1200 ohms at deep bass frequencies.

The CJ CT-5 is ok in terms of impedance compatibility, based on JA’s measurements. The 17LS is as well, so I suppose the 17LS2 and the ET3SE are likely to be also. CJ preamps tend to have high gains, which in some systems can limit the usable range of the volume control to undesirably low settings, but in combination with the moderate gain of the Pass amp and the not particularly high sensitivity of the Magico S5 I suspect you’ll be ok in that respect.

So given also your desire for a warmish sonic character I would vote for one of the CJs.

Good luck!  Regards,
-- Al

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almarg
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Hmm, after looking a little further I see in "Sam Tellig’s" comments about the 17LS2 that one of the differences between it and the 17LS involved the introduction into the design of ten 2uf Teflon capacitors. **If** one of those is used as the output coupling capacitor for each channel (rather than two of them in parallel on each channel, or something else altogether being used as the output coupling capacitor), that would translate to an output impedance upwards of 4K at 20 Hz, too high to be optimal with a 20K load.

So I’m uncertain about the suitability of the 17LS2.

Regards,
-- Al

erik_squires
16,007 posts
 
Of course, the solution is to get another pair of 2uF teflon caps and wire them in parallel. :)
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almarg
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Further update: I see that in the latter part of Sam Tellig’s writeup it is stated that the 17LS2 design does in fact use two of the 2uf caps in parallel, on each channel. Which is fine in terms of impedance compatibility with a 20K load.

Regards,
-- Al

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