Need some pre-amp advice...

Thanks for the feedback -- I was concerned about the Sonic Frontiers, that the manual is none too clear about how the ssp bypass actually works. Could you shed a little light on it for me? I know that they are available pretty regularly. It sure would be a nice break, to find something cheaper that does what I need!

Thanks for any and all information.

Blake

Yes, I have listed to a few of them. Not the Krell or the Levinson piece, as the Lev is too new, and the Krell, my dealer does not stock. I have heard the BAT, but it was hooked up to BAT 150SE, through Eidelon Diamonds, so no real comparison to what I have. I have heard the ARC, once again on a totally different system, though.

Blake

Thanks for the advice -- I am leaning toward the Pass pre (X0 or X0.2) just because I love the way the two components sound together (amp and pre). I was wondering, though, has anyone had a chance to audition the X0 vs the X0.2? I know that the power supply capacitance was increased, and I believe that that is all the difference -- is there a large difference in the sound quality? I could imagine a difference in amps, if the power supply was increased, but pre-amps?

As you can see I am a complete neophyte when it comes to preamps, as I never really had the need to care about them. Now I do, and I find them extremely hard to track down the nuances of...

Blake

Keith --

You have me intrigued. I know that you too are looking for an amp, what are your suggestions?

I prefer to buy from a company that does not penalize a used purchase in terms of warranty. What would you suggest for my system? I have heard the following with my speakers, listed in order of (my own) sound quality -- none of these were *bad* mind you, and they were listened to over the course of 2+ years, so take this with a proverbial silo of salt:

Levinson 33H (in the ballpark pricewise, but no warranty on a expensive, complex piece of equipment kind of scares me away)

Halcro dm58 (too much money, never heard the dm38, would have to buy used)

Pass X1000 (just too damn big)

Krell 450mcx (dealer set-up, they push Krell hard -- I would have liked to hear the 700 stereo, as that is in my price range.

Parasound JC1 -- believe it or not, these sounded pretty damn good, and the price doesn't scare me away, that is for sure!

I also am considering Plinius, but have never heard them outside of a show.

What about the Pass makes you think that it would not be a good match for the Dyns?

Thanks for all the info, guys!

Blake

In terms of the actual question, thanks for all your answers, guys. I have decided on a Pass X0.2, my local dealer made me an offer that I 'could not refuse.'

Blake