2. amps-preamps
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Cary SLP-05 with Pass Labs X-250

Would these be a good match? Looking for a warmer sound through my Egglestonworks Andra II Speakers. I’m running a pair of JL Audio F113 fathoms on the bottom so I thought it might be a great match up. My second choice is getting a PASS LABS XP-10 and sticking with all solid state! I listen to all genres of music at moderate to loud levels. Any advice would be great! 
boisehomes

Showing 2 responses by almarg

almarg's avatar
almarg
9,670 posts
 
Hi John (Roxy54),

No, I don't think there would have been an impedance compatibility issue using the Morrison Elad with the X250.5, or with most other power amps.  See the info provided in the PM I sent to you on 3/3/2017.

Best regards,
-- Al
almarg's avatar
almarg
9,670 posts
 
George, per Stereophile’s measurements the 400 ohm spec is not accurate:
The SLP 05’s output impedance is specified as a usefully low 400 ohms. However, I got significantly higher values for the unbalanced output of 1500–1600 ohms in the midrange and treble, rising to 3400 ohms at 20Hz, with similar if slightly lower figures for the balanced output. The Cary preamp needs to be used with power amplifiers having input impedances of 10k ohms or greater if the bass is not to sound a little lean.
... And given those measurements I would consider JA’s suggestion of a 10K minimum load to be optimistic.

That said, the 22K **balanced** input impedance indicated in the manual for the X250 would seem to be a fairly reasonable match for the SLP-05 in terms of impedance compatibility, given also that the SLP-05’s output impedance has much less variation over the frequency range than in the case of many other tube-based preamps.

Regards,
-- Al

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