When considering a pre that will be used with Thiel 3.5's I would suggest that one consider those pres that either have an extra analog tape loop and/or preferably have most of their design parameters based around single ended output, unless one either has two Thiel 3.5 eq's modified to mono balanced operation or one can find a better stereo balanced eq with at least 12 dB of boost (and good luck with that). Otherwise the extra money and effort spent on balanced operation will be for naught.
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.
Showing 3 responses by unsound
I used Stereophile's specs: https://www.stereophile.com/content/adcom-gfa-555-power-amplifier-specifications but, I suspect John's might be more correct. If the 3.5's eq is used between pre and amp, it would probably also offer some "buffering" in this regard as well. |