passive preamp matching

A very strong second to the Placette recommendation. Absolutely fantastic! Like finally opening a slightly dirty window to breath fresh air and see the view unobstructed. Hey, they should use me for ad copy, eh? My setup doesn't conform to the requirements suggested above. My amp input impedance is only 10K. The output of the Placette is 2K which is only five times lower, as opposed to the ten times suggested above. I don't know the output of my Muse Model 2 plus dac that is doing duty as the front end, and how that might come into play, but the system works perfectly with no quirkiness at all. Raising the volume is a bit strange as the high volumes that I'd normally associate with severe distortion, do not have any apparent. The volume goes up and down as smooth as silk. In my system it is very engaging, crystal clear, and exhibits no dynamic shortcomings, nor any compromises at the extremes. Bass response is outstanding, and much better than the Cary tube pre I had been using as a pinch-hitter in this system. In other words, it has no weaknesses in my system that I can tell. Oh, also, I'm using 2 meter IC's between Placette and the amp and 2 meters between source and Placette. Length of IC is supposedly another issue to be aware of. It's a wonderful way to go if it works in your system. I'd consult with Guy at Placette if you have specific concerns (or with whatever company you choose to go with).

Marco

This is the info I have got so far:

b&k St-2140 power: input 1.2v, imp 33200
Mccormack TLC-1 : input 1.02v, input imp 13000, output imp 250 buffered
No specs on the music hall cd25.2 (browsed the net)

Am I right to assume that the pre won't be a correct match with the power?

No, you're not. According to thisreport by J Atkinson at Stereophile, the TLC-1 you're considering should do OK with yr 33,2k amp -- if a bit uncertain at very low volumes.
You may want to try it at low volume level (say 8-9 o' clock). Again, however, on paper it should be fine.
BTW, it seems this device offers less than unity (i.e. full output lower than input).

thanks Gregm. Looks like its going to be a lot of trial and error. I am assuming that the cd player has normal input and output values.

Marco,
What amp(s) are you using? Your setup (at least the Placette and input impedence of the amp) sounds remarkably similar to mine. I have the Placette and simply love it also and the only thing that has tempted me otherwise is to audition the Placette active, but I'm very happy with the passive. My amps are the Odyssey Mono Extremes with input impedence of 10K ohms. And my IC's from the Placette to the amps are, like yours, 2 meters. As the to downside of this setup---none to my ears. I hear no problems with dynamics or anything else. Of course, maybe I got no ears....