pre for Pass xa60.5

I have the Pass XP10. I did own the Aleph P & X1 before.
The XP10 is just better everywhere, even though it is only 1 chassis. The biggest improvement I've found is in detail retrieval. My X1 had 31 volume steps. The XP10 has 64.
Even on 1 volume click, I can hear all the detail in a song, it's just at a lower level.
Your amps are truly balanced. Your preamp should be, too..

thaks so far.

Tvad - which one will you choose for 3.3k ?

I can go balanced but my CDP (lector 7) is single ended only. will I hear any difference if not going balanced all the way ?

03-05-11: Icorem

Tvad - which one will you choose for 3.3k ?

I don't have a specific recommendation. The point is to allocate your funds toward the electronics rather than power cords for the XA-60.5 amps.

will I hear any difference if not going balanced all the way ?
Icorem (System | Threads | Answers | This Thread)

Yes.

I apologize for my abrupt response above, it’s just that I don’t like to make recommendations unless I’ve personally owned the component or tried it in my system.

In the $3300 used price range, I owned an Audio Research REF3 preamp, which I do not recommend with the Pass Labs XA-60.5. The combination sounded flat and lifeless to me.

At the $2500 price point, I owned a Lamm LL2 Deluxe preamp, which matched very well and sounded quite good (but not quite up to the standards of the Lamm L2 Reference). However, the LL2 is not balanced, and I have suggested that you seek a balanced preamp.

When I owned the XA-60.5 amps, my preferred preamps were the SMc Audio VRE-1 and the Lamm L2 Reference…both of which are well beyond $3300, and neither are tubed (although the L2 Reference has a tube power supply).

I tried an Atma-Sphere MP-1, which worked very well. It’d be a situation of user preference as to whether you would like the resulting sound. Again, though, it’s beyond you’re the $3300 mark, although a used Atma-Sphere MP-3 would be in that price range…but I haven’t heard one, so I’m reluctant to recommend it without conditions.