Pre for Pass XA60.5

I have an XA30.5 and it sounds truly sublime. In my opinion it sounds like the best of what tubes and solid state can offer in one solution.

With that in mind, I would recommend you consider getting a totally transparent preamp. I'm using a Placette Audio Active preamp which is a match made in heaven with my amp. It also takes extra consideration to match it with your source as well.

Just received my VAC Ren. MKIII to go with my XA30.5 and my Wilson Sofia's all i can say is wow. No tubish sound here. Very transparent. I don't think you can't do any better. It has balanced outs which the pass likes very much.

It does everything just right. I bought it to help tame the tweeters which it did very well, but what was not expected was how well the mid's performed. Female voices will just make you melt. I believe I am finally off the merry go round. It sounds that good.

Matt

I heard an ARC Ref 3 with a Pass X350.5 playing through WP 8's, and it was the best application of the Ref 3 that I've heard.

Dear Onemug, Erndog, Mwilliams and Azaud,

Many thanks for your input!
Very good to know that the pres you kindly posted work fine with Pass gear!
Did anyone of you directly compare the pres you use with the XP-10/20? If yes, I would really appreciate some words on the differences you observed in your system.
Such a comparison would be really interesting for me.

I heard today the XP-10 in my system and was very much impressed. Outstanding PRAT, great bass control and a lot of overview in complex passages of music. Everything seems under control and the music has still a good fun factor.
One point I am not sure about were microdynamics (while macrodynamics were great!). Female voices were really good but this aspect could perhaps be even better with other pres. But this aspect may already be a question of the right power cord. In any case the XP-10 is an impressive and very good Pre (to my ears, in my system).

So if anyone else has compared directly a great tube pre (or ss) with the XP-10/20 in a system using the XA.5 series of Pass amps please let me know!

After I purchased the Pass amps, my dealer let me demo the XP-20. I liked it a lot. I preferred my tube pres and returned the 20 but I told the dealer, "If any of my tube preamps ever give me a problem, I will just send you a check for a new 20." So far my tube pres have been flawless so that's what I use.

In comparison: I heard more dynamic contrast with the CJ's especially at low volume levels where I do a lot of my listening. The 20 could do low levels very well but the tubes showed more contrast at those levels.

This is not to say that any tube pre will work for me. What attracted me to the ART and ACT was their design: class A,no NFB,just one gain stage and no cathode follower. It's hard to get any simpler than that but it all comes down to how it sounds to "you" and these sound great to me.