Pre/power Amp Advice

question: why stay with matched amp & pre? You may find better deals on equipment if you are willing to mix.

note: Doubling your wattage will only gain you 3db, a 10db gain will effectively double your volume. Keep that in mind if you are looking for more power.

Ruffway:
From your list, Pass Labs basically is not the same league to the others. I used to own Pass Labs Aleph 0, Aleph 2 and now I am using X-600 matching with ARC Reference II tube premap. Pass provides great products and the service as well. Pass X line provides X150, X250, X350, X600 and X1000 depending on your budget and the power needed for you to choose from. Good luck.

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- Jshaw - I am a bit confused. Could please clarify the statement "Pass Labs basically is not the same league to the others".

You make it sound like it is NOT as good as the others, then go on to seemingly recommend Pass products. If your intent was to say that Pass is in a HIGHER league then the others, your other statements make sense, and I agree completely.

I currently have some Arcam product as well, and replaced 2 Bryston 4B-ST & 5B-ST amps with the Pass equivalents of the exact same power ratings. This change alone has taught me that statistics and increased power ratings do NOT necessarily make a product sound great. There was a major improvement in effortlessness, warmth and smoothness while adding detail and micro-dynamics.

Remember: YMMV and this is just IMHO.

Bhouser:
Sorry about the confusion. Yes, in my opinion, Pass Labs should belong to a higher league to the others from the list.

Tx, Jshaw004 ...