Currently having Pass Lab XP-20 preamp and X350.5 amp, I assum the whole Pass gear would match perfectly, but seems MBL 6010D (2010 model) and Ayre XK-R are excellent. have anyone compared red hot Ayre XK-R preamp with XP-20, is it worthy to spend 6K more for XK-R.
I think the original owner of MBL sold the company and now has a new company MC-music culture technology www.music-culture.com if you are looking for a lower priced MBL sound. Personnaly I do not prefer SS preamps. Find a nice direct heated or transformer coupld designed preamp and take a listen.
BigKidz, I`ve seen several post by you suggesting DHT tubes -transfomer coupled preamps and can understand why you do so. There are very few of these types commercially available however. Is yours a DIY or sold as a kit?
I have a Pass X150.5 paired up with an Ayre Pre...it's a nice combo. Does not have the weight of my Cary, pre, though, but that could also be "fixed" with different speakers.
No offense but I see you have the K5xe which is a good pre but not close to the KX-R. I owne the K5xe MP and auditioned the KX-R in direct comparison. I loved the KX-R but I could not swing the extra cost.
If I may suggest the MP upgrade if you have not already done so. It is well worth the $250-300 cost.
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