What is a good amp to pair with Hovland HP-100
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. |
FWIW, the Proacs are known to sound best with tubes, at most of the Response series. I've heard them sound nice with VTL, Manley and ARC. Manleys are my personal fav or those 3. If you are into vinyl, I'd search archives before assuming that the Hovland's phono stage will meet your needs, particularly if you are into LOMC cartridges. Cheers, Spencer |
I have a Hovland HP-100 and have tried it with the Radia, Theta Dreadnaught, Audio Research VT 100, and McIntosh 750. Personally, I liked it best with both the Audio Research and the McIntosh. I use a Lyra Titan cartridge, by the way, and the phono stage is fine. No problem with MC cartridges. I did change the phono tubes to RAM super quiet tubes. |
Well, to update, I passed on the Hovland for the reasons above. I really do think it's the best preamp I've heard but I also agree that it is wiser (at such prices) not to start from the preamp. I will start my search anew and hopefully have the opportunity to incorporate this beautiful machine into a system at some point. Thanks for the input! Best, Rickk |
