2. amps-preamps
  3. 1423173149

Help with Preamp selection

Hello Everyone, I am building a new system and I am having a hard time with selecting a preamp to be paired with my Pass Labs XA-30.5 Class A amp. I am no audio engineer and to be honest I really don't know what to make of all the specifications. I have read where the Pass amp like low input gain from a pre-amp but other than that I am unsure what else to look for. I definitely want a pre-amp with balanced inputs and outputs so I can experience everything the balanced PASS labs has to offer. I am leaning towards solid state vs tubes only because their seems to be more balanced offerings and less maintenance.

My budget is $1000-$2000 for a used or new unit. Here are some of the choices I have been mulling over:
1. Wyred 4 Sound STP SE
2. Lower end Ayre Unit (This is $3500 new but have seen as low as $2K on used market
3. Parasound JC-2 (out of my range even used)
4. Cary Audio SL-100 (New)
5. Audio Research (So many units to choose from would be interested if they are in price range)
6. Jolida Fusion

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Lastly - any recommendations on budget speaker cable and interconnects? I am looking for well made but at a reasonable price. Budget for 10' speaker cables $200-$250 and XLR connectors $100-$150.

Thanks in advance for your responses.
Neil
nmiller1202
abrew19
146 posts
 
I have a Pass x250.5 AB model and had good results with both my Cary SLP-98 and older Forte F44 preamps.

At your budget you may want to consider saving on cable costs and add those later. Adding cables later as a stand-alone change is a great way to test/listen and determine to what extent (if any) they actually improve the sound.
nmiller1202 OP
18 posts
 
Hello Macrojack - Nice looking unit. Never heard of this company before? Can you speak to it's performance first hand and if so what have you compared it to? It seems to have a world class DAC and headphone amp but my main use will be as a pre-amp with a CD source.
nmiller1202 OP
18 posts
 
Thanks Abrew19 - I agree with waiting on cables. My plan is to get entry level and then upgrade later one connector at a time. Any recommendations on good entry level connectors, used or new?
nmiller1202 OP
18 posts
 
Speaking of the Pass preamp I noticed they recommend leaving the preamp on at all times, They say it cost less than a cup of coffee per month? This kind of turned me off. Is this common with most preamps? I understand Tube equipment requires warm up time but the Pass stuff is solid state.
jon2020's avatar
jon2020
986 posts
 
Nmiller1202,
It is very commonly suggested by most preamp manufacturers to leave the preamp on at all times, especially solid state. Leaving a tube preamp on at all times would shorten listening time for the life of the tube. My current preamp, an Ayre, doesn't even have an on/off switch.
J.
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