Ohm Walsh Micro Talls: who's actually heard 'em?

11-06-09: Mapman
Have you found the better clarity and control extends into the upper frequency ranges as well?

Any downsides that you can identify to go along with the benefits?

Yes, but it depends on the components, and the difference is more subtle than it is in the bass region.

No downsides to better impedance matching.

is it the absolute value of the preamp output impedance, or the ratio or magnitude of amp input impedance to pre-amp output impedance in the end that matters?
Mapman (System | Reviews | Threads | Answers)

The manufacturer's stated specs are a starting point, but impedance output and input varies across the frequency spectrum, and sometimes greatly beyond the nominal spec. This is why reading the Stereophile test measurements can be valuable. Atkinson addresses the impedance measurements across the frequency spectrum, and bases his matching recommendations on what he discovers.

Hi Rebbe and to all in the best thread at the 'Gon.

RE JUICY:
This was posted on their site today:

"Time to turn out the lights...

It has been a great 5 years, but it is time for me to retire. I will no longer be building any new production batches of the BlueBerry, Peach, Tercel or pCAT. I WILL however, be completely supporting all customers (in and out of warranty) with their repair, upgrade and modification needs.

The web site will be here for ahwile (as reference), but I am removing the PayPal purchase buttons.

If you have any questions about your product, just send me an e-mail."

Dante7, that's months old news.

Nevertheless, if a used Juicy Peach I or II comes up, it's a good candidate for Rebbi, IMO, provided he doesn't require a phono stage.

Rebbe,

After some investigation, the ARC sp16 I use is also a candidate for you at least technically, though the cost may be a tad higher.

Here are the specs:

260 ohms Single Ended main;

20K ohms minimum (amplifier input) load and 1000 pF maximum capacitance

So ARC recommends a ratio actually of about 77:1 for this pre-amp, which is well beyond the 10:1 minimum that many indicate in general.

With your Bel Canto's input impedance of 10000 ohms (half the ARC recommended value) the ratios with ARC sp16 would still be over 38:1, still almost 4 times the consensus minimum, so I think the Bel CAnto will work fine with any of the tube pre-amps identified above (Manley, ARC, Juicy) with the similar low output impedance specs.