Pass X1 preamp

[frenchmon]

Raven....I find that a lot of guys...especially over at audiokarma, like listening to gear rather than music. It's not all about the finest detail as long you got detail that allows the musicality to come. If the emotion flows from your heart, then that's What's up! As much as I have listened to some nice Solid State...and believe me there is some nice solid state out there...but something is still missing as far as that last little drop in the texture of that sound. That vividness ..the intensity of the notes...I just miss it with SS.

Jack...you are on the right tract in my opinion by adding tubes...Now we all know Peabody loves tube.... if we can get Peobody to get a tubed preamp.....

[Jack in Wilmington]

Raven....I find that a lot of guys...especially over at audiokarma, like listening to gear rather than music. It's not all about the finest detail as long you got detail that allows the musicality to come. If the emotion flows from your heart, then that's What's up! As much as I have listened to some nice Solid State...and believe me there is some nice solid state out there...but something is still missing as far as that last little drop in the texture of that sound. That vividness ..the intensity of the notes...I just miss it with SS.

Jack...you are on the right tract in my opinion by adding tubes...Now we all know Peabody loves tube.... if we can get Peobody to get a tubed preamp.....

Peabody really likes his XP-10 and the synergy that it has with his X250. It might take some serious coin to get him into a acceptable preamp.

[Mr Peabody]

For me the Pass is a good middle ground, it depends on your listening taste in music and what part of the hi fi presentation does it for you. I loved the CJ but for Rock and more energetic music the romance and rounding of some edges took something away as well. While the Krell with it's authority didn't draw me in as much on other types of music. The Pass sort of gives the best of both worlds without going to the extremes of either. I wish I had been patient and used the CJ preamp with the Threshold amp a bit longer, the two pieces had synergy like they were made for each other. I wanted a more modern amp though and the Threshold really got me wondering what the Pass was like. True, on my current set up vocals don't have that euphoric type sound but the improvements every where else are worth the trade off. It's hard to describe the difference, and it would be general any way since tube gear varies as solid state does in sound, but tubes give you a more in the room type of presence where my system is more, at the performance feel. In some cases tubes put more "flesh on the bone feel". I listen to a very wide variety of music and I find the Pass a nice place to be for that. IMO the Pass rocks as well as providing outstanding fun for Classical, the way it controls the performance, no over hang, dynamic, and provides great texture. They say, never say never, but I don't see myself going any more warmer or tubes, and, one of the criteria when I was looking for an amp was to maintain musicality.

If you are going to use a tube preamp with a solid state amp the output impedance of the tube preamp should be 500 ohms or less to be optimum. If not it will not match the amp to it's potential. I will also say, although it may be fun hearing different gear, it could also be expensive and put you on the merry-go-round until finding the right synergy. Just a thought FWIW before just pairing any preamp that fits a budget to the Pass amp. Whether they admit it, and others may argue, but I find most brands do have a "house" sound, sometimes they mix, and other times they don't. The exception being Alstine, I don't know if he has a plan at all when building gear, The FET gear was the first I have ever used that seemed to have synergy with other brands more so than with each other.

[blackraven]

The thing I like about the FET is that it is not overly tubey or warm. It has just the right amount of warmth. It is also very dynamic and musical, at least on par with the Pass. As I said before, the X1 is a little more resolving and it should be, costing $4000 more than the FET. The FET is a bargain at its price point. With that being said, I will probably try and find used preamp. Another reason I want to go with tubes in a preamp is that my DAC is getting long in the tooth and it can't take advantage of Hi-Rez music. So my next DAC will probably be SS, unless I get one of the Marantz ref SACDP's.

For now I will live with the X1. It sounds very good but its not the sound that I am looking for.

I wish I had a TT as the FET that Frank loaned me has a phono preamp.

[frenchmon]

Well I hope it all works out for you...I know in the long run it will.

[blackraven]

Frenchmon, I finally rolled all 12 pairs of my 6CG7 tubes and the last pair sounds the best (go figure). It gives me more of what I am looking for, a little warmth, fuller midrange with more texture and a little bit of tube sound without sacrificing detail and transparency. Its not perfect but I like it a lot better now. I can live with it till I decide to get a CJ ET-3se preamp or BAT.

I am considering upgrading my DAC to a DSD DAC or just going with a Marantz 11S3 SACD player. If I had the cash now I would buy a used Marantz 7s1 or S2 SACDP. There are 3 of them on audiogon right now for reasonable prices. I have also considered getting a Modright modified Oppo 105 with the tube and power supply mod but I think I would be better off with Marantz. This may be the preferable way to go as the X1 could use a better source than my current DAC which does not do hi rez music. And lately after hearing a friends system I have been considering getting a dedicated computer for audio and using J River Software along with a DSD DAC.

[frenchmon]

Glad to hear that BR....I really need to get into digi music with a computer as well.

[Feanor]

I am considering upgrading my DAC to a DSD DAC or just going with a Marantz 11S3 SACD player. If I had the cash now I would buy a used Marantz 7s1 or S2 SACDP. There are 3 of them on audiogon right now for reasonable prices. I have also considered getting a Modright modified Oppo 105 with the tube and power supply mod but I think I would be better off with Marantz. This may be the preferable way to go as the X1 could use a better source than my current DAC which does not do hi rez music. And lately after hearing a friends system I have been considering getting a dedicated computer for audio and using J River Software along with a DSD DAC.

I'd like to try a DSD DAC as well. Actually my two last acquisitions before the Pass amp were the Schiit Bifrost Uber DAC and the ARC LS9 premp; they were both very significant improvements to my system. However if I were now back before either of these I think I might well look for a DAC with preamp functions and also DSD capability.

I think there a two or three that might do this. One is the Benchmark DAC2 HGC which even has a couple of analog inputs, plus balanced outputs and remote control, see HERE.