2. amps-preamps
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Solid state amp/Tube Preamp. Possible?

Hi everyone. I have a Classe CA300 power amp & I'm thinking of getting a BAT tube preamp w/phone pre. A BAT VK-3i to be exact. My speakers are B&W 802's with a Linn Wakonda Pre at present with a Sota table. The Linn has a on board phone pre but I run my table through a Musical Fidelity X-LPS ver 3 phono pre. I'm thinking of replacing the Linn & X-LPS with the BAT VK-3i. I know BAT's reputation is outstanding just worried about the tube pre matched with a solid state amp. Any ideas or experience with this type of set up would be appreciated.

Cheers Deanna
deanna4242
cajunpepe
255 posts
 
I am using a tubed McIntosh MC2300 pre with McIntosh MC 501 solid state monoblocks. They are wonderful matches!

Pepe
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vett93
205 posts
 
I have a BAT VK-3iX preamp. When I first got it, I used it to drive Sim Audio amp as my main system. I was happy for awhile until I got my 2nd system, a 300B SET amp with more sensitive speakers. I found my 300B SET amp had more bass than my main system!

So I sent my preamp to BAT for power cap and output cap upgrades. The output cap upgrade tripled the amount of capacitance and thus lowered the output impedance at lower frequencies. Sure enough, I had more bass after I got my VK-3iX back from BAT.

Then a friend loaned me an amp with tube input/gain stage, which has a higher input impedance. The bass further increased! That is the amp I am using now: tube gain stage and SS output stage.

IMO, a ratio of 10:1 between the amp-input-impedance and preamp-output-impedance is not enough. I would say 100:1 is about right.
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halcro's avatar
halcro
2,664 posts
 
I had a Kebschull valve preamp with the SS Perraux PM1850 power amp for 20 years, and it was the sweetest combination I have ever heard. In some ways, better than the Halcro DM10 and Halcro DM58 monoblocks I now have. Didn't know the impedence matching and still don't.
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