2. amps-preamps
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What is a good amp to pair with Hovland HP-100

Greetings all,

I'm starting to do research for a system upgrade and am pretty sure I want to check out the Hovland HP-100 preamp based on its excellent reviews. I would enjoy any suggestions or experience members may have with amplifiers (tube or solid in the same approximate price range) that they feel are a good match. I'm currently using a Unison Research Unico, so this will be a huge step up in performance for me. My turntables are Oracle Alexandria and Kenwood L-07D, speakers are Vandersteen 2ce (and will likely be upgraded as well).

I look forward to your opinions!

Regards,

rickk
rickk

Showing 3 responses by restock

restock
831 posts
 
Agree with Peter_s - not all preamps work well with all amps and you would not want to lock yourself into a preamp-amp combination by choice of the preamp.

I would ask the question: What good amp to pair with the 2CE ad then find a matching preamp....
restock
831 posts
 
Since you are getting a good deal for the Hovland - I would get it. It's a nice preamp and if the match to your future amp is not perfect you can optimize and resell later.
restock
831 posts
 
I heard the Hovland with a Pass amp and it worked quite well. There is a thread here:

Pass with Hovland Pre

The output impedance of the Hovland is pretty low so that it should work with most solid state amps.
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