2. amps-preamps
  3. 169526-165609

Threshold T-200. Help me choose a preamplifier

Good day, Colleagues!
Not so long ago, at an auction in Japan, I accidentally won the Threshold T-200 amplifier. I really wanted this brand, but I was looking for the T-800D model. But it turned out to buy this amplifier ... And now I am very tormented with the choice.
I spent two days on the internet looking for balanced amplifiers. Here is a list, is there anything on this list worth seeing?
Pass Labs X1 - 
This preamplifier is sold in Russia at a very good price, it seems to me. 1800 dollars. But I do not know his condition. The photographs show that the cable that connects the power supply and the preamplifier itself is frayed. And the power supply is not complete, but a small black box.
Pass Labs X2.5 - I found this preamp for 2000 euros in Croatia, but shipping will cost around 500 euros, so it is already very expensive for me. 
Black Ice F-360 - A very interesting preamplifier. The ad suggests that this preamp has very high detail and can expand the scene. :) But I don't believe in advertisements.
Leema Acoustics Pyxis ll -  This amplifier is quite expensive, I found it in my country for $ 2500 and this is a showcase sample. It has an impressive range of features, there is a phono stage, which I also need, and balanced inputs and outputs.
Electrocompaniet ec 4.7
Electrocompaniet EC 4.8
Krell KSL-2
Audia Flight Pre
Quad Artera Pre
Rotel RC-5000
Audio research LS-15
audio research LS-2B
Spectron Model 10
Audio research LS 17
BAT VK-30
McIntosh C2200 - But this is already very dear to me.

I really look forward to your help and advice in choosing.

vetusto
vetusto OP
46 posts
 
Part of the expense that went into that Pass pre was for it's balanced circuitry, which won't be a good match into your Threshold amp.
Did you say Pass Labs is not good for my Threshold? "which won't be a good" - can you say "not good"? Did I get it right? Did you say that because Threshold has a resistance of about 1 kΩ, and the output impedance at the Pass Labs balanced outputs is 0.35 kΩ? Did I understand everything correctly? That is, I need to look for a preamplifier with an output impedance of no more than 50 ohms on balanced outputs? A respected colleague in this topic wrote a little higher that the output impedance of the preamplifier should be 20 times lower than the input impedance of the amplifier. That is, if the input impedance of the amplifier is 926 ohms, then the output impedance of the preamplifier = 926/20 = 46 ohms. Fifty ohms is very little ... I hardly ever find such a preamplifier ...
 If I painted everything correctly, then a tragedy awaits me. What kind of preamp should I get?
Post removed 
rbaker's avatar
rbaker
65 posts
 
I use a Modwright SWL 9.0 SE tube pre amp with the T200 to 
Ohm Walsh 2-2000 with excellent results. I use RCA’s this is an older
9.0 and does not have balanced inputs. To me it sounds great, the T200 is a powerhouse.
unsound
7,329 posts
 
@vetuso. What I posted, is that the “balanced” output of the Pass would not be good with the “balanced” inputs of the Threshold. And, that the balanced circuitry was part of the expense of the Pass. As has been pointed, out while a pre with a suitably low balanced output impedance could work nicely, such beasts are rare. You might be better off finding a single ended only pre. While transistor output devices have become rather rugged for 50 years now, should your somewhat old Threshold’s somewhat unusual IGBT devices fail, you might have a Dickens of a time finding replacement parts. You might have to scrap the amp, or do a total rebuild with different transistors. As it is, if not already done so, the caps will be soon due for replacement.
laaudionut
263 posts
 
The OP appears dead set on a Pass Labs preamp, despite many suggesting otherwise for a multitude of reasons. Allow him to learn first hand as we have all have(unfortunately) done in our individual pursuit of audio nirvana.
More to discover