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Promitheus Ref TVC and RWA Sig 30.2 Power Amp

Hi All,
The itch to upgrade is getting stronger day-by-day and I think I should start by asking this wonderful community, certain questions that I have no idea about.
I do not plan to upgrade everything at once - as budgets do not permit. I currently have the NAD C352 integrated and want to start with the Promitheus Reference TVC preamp. I will use my NAD as a power amp for now. When budgets permit, I plan to get the Red Wine Audio Sig 30.2 Power Amp. This is based purely on the reviews from many people online and also 6moons and other online sites. I am not sure if this amp will be good enough to drive my Quad 21L.

The questions are:
Will the Promitheus and RWA work fine with my Quad 21L speakers?
What should be my expectations after I replace the current preamp section in the NAD with Promitheus Ref TVC? Will the sound step-up be huge or slight?
Is this the right approach, or should I just upgrade to a better integrated amp (like Primare, Creek, Musical Fidelity, etc)?

Thanks much.
milpai

Showing 3 responses by clio09

clio09
3,363 posts
 
You would typically like to see a higher input impedance. The number given to you by NAD, 20k ohms, is a bit on the low side. Since the Promitheus uses transformers this will be less of an issue versus resistors, but still to be considered. The input sensitivity is fine at 770mV. I assume you have a high output voltage source (>2V).

If I recall the RWA (power amp version) has a much higher input impedance. Around 100k ohms which would be fine for most passive preamps.
clio09
3,363 posts
 
Not sure you're going to get the best out of the Promitheus with the NAD. One option to consider is the Lightspeed attenuator. This is a passive preamp using photo-optic technology. No transformers and no resistors. I just bought one and it is everything it is advertised to be.

Go to DIY.com and do a search for Lightspeed. There is a very long thread on the preamp. Nelson Pass even participates and IIRC uses the technology. The preamp is available for about $350. Single input and single output only. This will work with your NAD as it is pretty immune to impedance matching. Also, the new Pass B1 buffer is another option at $895. Again will work with the NAD.
clio09
3,363 posts
 
Let us know how it sounds after you've let it settle in a bit.
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