2. amps-preamps
  3. 134443-94588

Do I have to brand match preamp and amp?

I recently got an Ayre v-5xe Amp for my two channel setup (with Revel f208 speakers and PS Audio Directstream DAC). At a good price locally.

I looked at the matching K-5xe MP matching preamp, but it’s too expensive brand new and nothing available used.

Do I have to get a matching brand preamp? Or something different would do. My budget for the Preamp is around two grand.

thanks!
128x128thyname
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
That one was a steal, hence the reason why it is already sold...lol.

I have same issue all the time, just pulled the pin on a Lyngdorf and something else I had been wanting for a while pops up on eBay about 3 hours later....go figure.
ebm
9,311 posts
 
Brand match for best and most coherent sound do this asap!!
thyname's avatar
thyname OP
3,107 posts
 
I already did. Arrived yesterday. Ayre K-1xe
jc4659
557 posts
 

@thynamePlease

 Please let us know how you get on with that new preamp.

deepee99's avatar
deepee99
86 posts
 
Mixing and matching is not a problem UNLESS you're talking about tubes and solid-state. There's a huge impedance difference between a tube pre-amp's output and a sand amp's inputs. It *can* be corrected by re-capping the tube pre-amp but IMHO not worth the hassle. Pardon a bit of thread drift here, but IMHO far too much attention is paid to the amp's specs, while the pre-amp, which really provides flavour to the sound, is oft overlooked as a mere switching device. It's not.
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