Pre for Pass XA60.5

I have Pass's 30.5 and 100.5 amps and I pair them with Conrad Johnson ART and ACT 2.2 tube preamps. I find them to be great preamps no matter what I hook them up to including some small triode amps.

Both of those pres are no longer current so used is your only option. New: I don't have experience with their newer ET line or their current flagship, the GAT. I have no desire to change what I have now. If I did, I would give their newer top tier stuff a chance. Good luck.

After I purchased the Pass amps, my dealer let me demo the XP-20. I liked it a lot. I preferred my tube pres and returned the 20 but I told the dealer, "If any of my tube preamps ever give me a problem, I will just send you a check for a new 20." So far my tube pres have been flawless so that's what I use.

In comparison: I heard more dynamic contrast with the CJ's especially at low volume levels where I do a lot of my listening. The 20 could do low levels very well but the tubes showed more contrast at those levels.

This is not to say that any tube pre will work for me. What attracted me to the ART and ACT was their design: class A,no NFB,just one gain stage and no cathode follower. It's hard to get any simpler than that but it all comes down to how it sounds to "you" and these sound great to me.

Boso27,
I have not compared my CJ's to the others you mentioned. They are all top tier preamps. Hard to go wrong with any of them. One will ultimately suit "your" tastes the most. Good luck.