AR LS 26 and Pass Labs X350.5 Compatible?


Hello to all the audiophiles here on Audiogon. Being new to the high end of audio I was wondering if some of the more knowledgeable experts could give me their opinion on something I've been thinking of.

Recently, I upgraded my venerable Ohm 4s to the 4.5 S3 and I wanted to pair it with an Audio Research LS 26 and a Pass Labs X350.5, both of these choices after reading some of the forum opinions here.

I contacted Pass Labs and a gentlemen named Desmond said there would be no problems with the pairing. However, after reading some opinions on mixing solid state amps with pre amp tubes would they really be compatible or would there be a better alternative? Thanks in advance for any replies!
aurelius

Showing 3 responses by aurelius

Thanks to all who replied to my thread. I will try to investigate more thouroughly and see what Audio Research has to say on the matter but according to Dev, Joey54, and Audiofeil, it does look promising.
After contacting Audio Research Corporation, they said they are "reasonably sure" that the Audio Research LS 26 could drive the Pass Labs X350.5 with an input impedance of 22 kohm balanced with no problem. They also said that although they would have like to see the input impedance of the X350.5 at 30 kohm, there would be no problems with the bass rolling off as some have suggested. Thanks to all who have given their expertise on this matter!
For now the ARC LS 26 is on my hit list for an audition, having a nearby dealer and thats where I'll start. I 'll keep my options open for other preamps by reading this forum for ideas.