Recommended Preamp for pairing an Adcom 555II Amp and Theil CS 3.5 speakers


My Bryston 0.5B preamp was inadvertently put down over the holidays by an incident now known as 'The Sippy Cup Mystery'.  Regardless of the cause, I need a new preamp for my system.  I am driving a pair of Thiel CS 3.5  (with the electronic bass equalizer) speakers with an Adcom GFA-555II amp.  The majority of the eclectic music (classical, 80s, folk, funk) being played on the system is streamed from iTunes through my Audioengine B1 DAC.  I have read a number of posts with various recommendations for the GFA-555II or the Thiel CS 3.5s but not for their paring.  Short of winning the lottery this week, cost is a factor. Any suggestions or directions would be very much appreciated.
iowanna33

Showing 2 responses by hifiman5

+1 pops!  As I read your OP ?, the first thing to come to mind would be a vintage cj preamp.  What a nice system that would give you!
@kalali  You beat me to it!  I was going to respond to George much as you did above that my anecdotal understanding of passive units is that the PRAT as the Brits like to call it, is diminished.  I'm not making a categorical statement here, just that anecdotally over many years reading lots of audiophiles' experiences, that the drive is diminished by passive gear.