The obvious answer is to read reviews and demo as much equipment possible and identify a pre and amp (or integrated) that match with your sonic preferences and the rest of your system. Another way to go and which is how I ended up building my system is to pick a very neutral and uncolored preamp (Bryston BP-6) and paired it with my McCormack amp that has sound characteristics that really appeal to me and that the Bryston just let shine through unadulterated. Point is there’s more than one way to go hear and there’s no one right answer. No question an integrated will be easier and likely cheaper way to go unless you’re purchasing megabuck components or want the flexibility to mix-n-match brands and sound characteristics. Hope this helps, and best of luck.
Mixed Brand Pre-Amp Power Amp Pairings that Work
I am thinking of and starting from scratch and revamping my pre-amp to power amp chain. I know that the performance of these two elements will be tightly coupled, so they need to match.
I suppose the easiest thing for me to do would likely be to stick with one brand (potentially even an integrated) and assume that they have optimally paired their own components to work well together. But even if I ended up getting pre- and power from one brand, I would want to do some thinking about the best pairing.
I would love to hear from folks here with more experience than me with off brand pairings. What worked? What didn't? All thoughts are much appreciated
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Let's face it: a whole lot more combinations are going to work just fine, compared to those that won't. The one technical issue has already been mentioned: impedance matching. Beyond that, I suppose you could end up with a bright preamp and a bright amp that together were too much, and likewise a syrupy preamp with a syrupy amp. But pretty much the world is your oyster. I'd wager most same-brand preamp+amp combos are because the owner particularly likes how that brand sounds, rather than any other concern. Similar observations apply to the "full loom" issue. |
I agree with @soix -- you just have to listen. That said, when I have paired pre and power amps a couple of times, (once Bryston, once Classé), the result was excellent. Currently using an Anthem STR Preamp with Apollon monoblocks built around the PuriFi 1ET400A module. I like it as much as any pairing I’ve tried. Quiet, dynamic, and neutral. |
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