Pass x250, Talon Khoruses , what now ?


hi y'all..
i got a decent deal on a new pass labs x250 to drive my
beloved talon khoruses, i got a half way decent rega planet 2000 cd player, wish it was balanced, and now i'm
out of money and in need of a pre amp, i can spend up to a grand, any recommendations? how about a tube pre amp?
i hear that the combination of a ss amp and a tube pre amp
can sometimes b fantastic.. is there anything fantastic for that kind of money out there, used or not ?
thanks in advance,
David
dave4u
Speak to stewart of SOS he knows more about pass labs equipment with talon speakers then just about anyone else out there. I'm sure he will know just what you need. You could also try running direct (the new shanling looks nice) and sell your rega.... I have talons too and love em as well... hope this helps ... =)
You should have a look at the Bent Audio (www.bentaudio.com)102S transformer based preamps. I realize that this is DIY, but it isn't that difficult and will give you the unbalanced to balanced conversion which other passives won't.
I've been using a Marsh P2000b(solid state), which is balanced and at a little over $1000 new is definitely an overachiever performance-wise. For a few hundred dollars more they offer a tubed version that may also be worth checking out, but the solid state version sure is sweet. Very quiet, dynamic, surprising tonality, lots of natural detail and very transparent. It's a genuine steal in my book. Best of luck.

Tim
you people r just a great bunch !
thanks for the great advice.
i will go and do my homework now..=)
thanks again
I think you should really consider a Pass Aleph-P pre. This pre is completely balanced, without attenuators in the circuit path. I had a non-remote version, and I was astonished at the difference a pre-amp can make to the quality of sound. I sold it to get a Krell HTS processor/pre-amp. I love the processor for the home theater portion, but I feel as though I took a step backward on two channel. I am now looking for a CD player that connects directly to my amp.

I guess what I am saying is I MISS MY PASS PRE-AMP. I think you could probably find a non-remote Aleph used for around $1k, and a remote version for $1400. It would be an excellent combination with your X-250. Good Luck!