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Preamp to go with Pass Labs Rushmore Speaker

Hi,
I'm asking for my friend in China. He has a pair of Pass Labs Rushmore speakers, and he doesn't like the Pass Labs preamp (don't know the model) that he currently has. Can you recommend a couple of high-end preamps (other than those from passlabs) that best (or better) match these speakers?
Thanks
catcher0
ozzy's avatar
ozzy
3,650 posts
 
Pass Labs XP-10 or XP-20 Preamps
onemug
784 posts
 
Kind of hard to be specific without knowing if he wants a more relaxed sound or a sharper one. Short of that, I'd recommend looking into some of Conrad Johnson's newer tube preamps. I am very happy with them driving my Pass amps.
kamil
37 posts
 
I have found the Audio Research Reference range (Ref 3 or 5) of preamps to work very well and is a safe bet with the Rushmore's, which I have been using for a number of years now. The SMC Vre-1 may be better but ultra sensitive to cabling and source components. Surprisingly I have found the older XO Pass pre a bit too bland for the Rushmore.
peterayer
1,373 posts
 
I too would recommend the Pass preamps, but the OP has given little info. To change the topic slightly, I'm interested to read that there are a few Rushmores out there. I hadn't realized that Pass sold many of these. Could I ask the owners what speakers they compared these to and what they sound like. I have all Pass electronics and have not read or heard anything about the Pass speakers. Thanks.
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