I believe one "rule of thumb" is the input impedance of the amp should be at least 10x the output impedance of the preamp. My McCormack DNA 500 is one of those SS amps with input impedance of only 10K ohms, and it works fine with the SF Line series preamps, which have relatively low output impedance in the range of about 100 to 300 ohms balanced. I have heard the UltraVerve is a great preamp. Good luck matching.
Specs to look for when matching tube pre to SS amp
I would like to not make a costly mistake and learn how one determines (at least from a specifications standpoint) on how to match equipment. I have a deHavilland UltraVerve tube preamp and am looking for a new/used SS amp. The Dehavilland specs are:
Input signal: 2v RMS maximum
freq respon : 10Hz to 80kHz
noise : <80db
Max output : 8v RMS
Gain : up to 10db
The pre only uses single ended inputs and I want to match to a SS amp. My monitors are Focus Audio FS688 (85db) so I am looking at amps in the 200+ wpc range. Someone told me that I should go with an amp that has no more than @ 1.5 input sensitivity. Some of the amps that I'm looking at, GamuT and the Classe CA 2200 are in that range. I would like to consider an amp like the Blue Circle BC26MK2 as I have read it sounds somewhat like a tube amp and matches well with the Focus speakers, but it's input sensitivity rating is 4.48 to 200W. Would this create a mismatch? I believe the Pass Labs .2 series is also well over 1.5 . I do not often listen at loud volume levels. Is there more than amp input sensitivity to consider when matching to a tube preamp? I can not demo a lot of equipment, but would appreciate your suggestions. Thank you!
Input signal: 2v RMS maximum
freq respon : 10Hz to 80kHz
noise : <80db
Max output : 8v RMS
Gain : up to 10db
The pre only uses single ended inputs and I want to match to a SS amp. My monitors are Focus Audio FS688 (85db) so I am looking at amps in the 200+ wpc range. Someone told me that I should go with an amp that has no more than @ 1.5 input sensitivity. Some of the amps that I'm looking at, GamuT and the Classe CA 2200 are in that range. I would like to consider an amp like the Blue Circle BC26MK2 as I have read it sounds somewhat like a tube amp and matches well with the Focus speakers, but it's input sensitivity rating is 4.48 to 200W. Would this create a mismatch? I believe the Pass Labs .2 series is also well over 1.5 . I do not often listen at loud volume levels. Is there more than amp input sensitivity to consider when matching to a tube preamp? I can not demo a lot of equipment, but would appreciate your suggestions. Thank you!