What is the best amp for a Mod Squad Pre Amp

A few years ago I had a Mod Squad pre-amp (the less expansive version) and for me also I thought the sound was lean and thin, esp. in the bass. Replaced it w/ an Acurus R-11 and everything was much better. You have to be careful which amp you choose w/ a passive pre-amp. You might consider replacing the MS pre-amp with an active quality SS or tube pre-amp. Also, adding warm sounding cables would help. Just my opinion. Good Luck!

Hello Teejay -

I hope you enjoy your Line Drive and find a good amplifier match for it. When looking for appropriate amps, keep the following general recommendations in mind:

1) Look for a fairly high input impedance - around 47Kohm or higher. Anything below 20Kohm is not the best match, although it will work.

2) Fairly high gain is also useful (in the range of +26 - 30dB, for instance). You may see this expressed as "input sensitivity," which is measured in Volts. Look for a figure around 1 Volt, give-or-take a bit. Anything in the 2 Volt-or-higher range may not give you the system volume you would like.

3) Minimize the capacitance of the interconnect cables between the Line Drive and the amp. I suggest 1000pF (pico Farads) as a *maximum* in this connection, with less being better. You should be fine with most cables of 2M or shorter.

Check with the FAQ section of my website at www.SMcAudio.com for further information.

Have fun!

Best regards,

Steve McCormack
formerly with The Mod Squad