Matching preamp to amp

Max,

I've owned the BC21 and BC22 for almost two years now and had no idea what the specs were!!! Obviously they match very well, and have a nice sound. If your specs are correct it creates an interesting conundrum for me because the preamp that didn't match with the Aleph 3 was in fact the BC21! Oh well.

If you get the BC21.1, it should have a sonic signature a bit closer to neutral [whatever that is] because they use 6922 tubes as opposed to the 6SN7s in the BC21. The BC21 has a very nice full bodied midrange and upper bass for those folks that like that. I do. ;-]

Unsound, what approach does Rowland take to power matching? Thanks.

Hi Gunbei,

Thanks for your response. I got the BC22 spec from Gilbert and the BC21.1 spec from the review on Soundstage. I had been thinking about a different pre that requires an amp with 50kOhms to operate ideally. I've decided to go with the BC21.1. :-) Can't wait to get it, but it won't arrive until later this year. :-( The midrange is where the magic resides.

Question: what should I do for a pre while waiting for the 21.1? I'm thinking maybe my old Denon receiver or the Channel Islands Audio passive VPC-1 (only US$250) to tide me over for now.

Max

Max,

Congrats on getting the BC21.1. Gilbert and Blue Circle are the kind of people that make this hobby fun. I'm thinking of ordering a pair of his high heel pump monoblocks! Did you get your BC21.1 with the Shallco stepped attenuator?

A passive pre that I like very much is the Luminous Audio AXIOM which in its basic form is only $125. With the AXIOM in the path it's obvious what the BC21 adds to the sound because no one region of the sonic spectrum is accentuated. What I noticed as the main differences are its balanced sound and excellent, detailed bass. However, with the AXIOM the midrange magic is missing and the depth of soundstage and liquid flow is gone as well. Ahh, those 6SN7 tubes!

http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?preatran&1068325570

I still think the AXIOM is an excellent unit and Tim with Luminous Audio will make sure you get a unit that matches the output voltage and impedance of your source and input impedance of your amp. He'll also take in to consideration the sensitivity of your speakers and configure a unit that has the right amount of degrees of attenuation for your application.

It only has one input and one output, so it's basically just an attenuator, and it's about the size of a portable Smartdisk Firewire drive. Even if I rarely use it I won't sell it because I like it and who knows, I may be in your situation one day.

Good luck!

Gunbei, I'm not a Rowland owner and I'm basing this on a recollection of an old review, so please take this accordingly. I believe that Rowland believes(d) in matching output to input impedance as a form of power transfer. Maybe some Krell fans can report if this is the same thing that Krell does with their CAST system.

Gunbei,

Thanks very much for the advice/info re: Luminous Audio AXIOM. I will check it out and maybe give Tim a call.

I did indeed decide to go for the Shallco on the BC21.1. Everything I've read/been told recommends it. Gilbert and BC have been excellent to deal with and his pumps and purse are a hoot. I think they'd be great for a second system in the bedroom, with great WAF I would think. ;-)

Max