Cary SLP-05 pre + Krell 302e/402e sound? Should I consider a different power amp?

 I don't believe Krell recommends using tube pre amps with there amps. 

I bet that Cary sounds killer with a Krell, and as long as the output impedance matches properly it should work with any amp. If it we're my choice I'd get a Cary 120S MK II to insure that you have the largest pile of tubes possible. Winter is coming...

The Krell has an input impedance of 100k ohms S.E,   200k balanced. 
The Cary SLP 05 output impedance is 400 ohms. The Cary has a high gain level of 17 db RCA  and 24 db via XLR.
Good luck, 

John Atkinson’s measurements of the SLP-05 were very different than the published numbers for gain and output impedance. For output impedance he measured...

...1500–1600 ohms in the midrange and treble, rising to 3400 ohms at 20Hz [unbalanced], with similar if slightly lower figures for the balanced output.

And he measured gains that were much lower than the numbers that are presently specified, and that also differed from the lower numbers that were specified when the review was written in 2006. Per his comments tube selection may have contributed to the gain discrepancies that were noted when the review was written.

In themselves none of these things should matter with the Krell amps that have been mentioned, given their very high 100K unbalanced and 200K balanced input impedances, and their moderate specified gains of about 25.5 db. However after noting some oddities in the measurements JA concluded by saying:

Though it has some anomalies, such as being happier with 10k ohm loads than with 100k ohms, the Cary SLP 05 offers respectable measured performance from its unbalanced jacks. I was a little disappointed with its behavior in balanced mode, however.

Good luck. Regards,
-- Al

Al, I got the Cary specifications directly from their site. You’d think they could provide reliable information on standard measurements that are easy to verify. This doesn’t help potential buyers interested in their products. How hard can it be to simply provide accurate information? On a positive note despite their quirky measurements they do get near universal praise from happy oweners.
Charles,