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BAT vk-3ix and Parasound Halo A21 match?

I've have purchased used on Audiogon a BAT vk-3ix preamp. I bought it becausec it was a good deal and figured I could sell it if I need to. Thing is I' don't know a whole bunch about tube gear and my concern is the impedance match of the BAT and the HAlo 21. I've read that you want an input impedance of 100k on the amp. However the Halo is only 66k balanced. Can anyone shed any light on this combo? I have not yet received the preamp.
last_lemming

Showing 3 responses by milpai

milpai's avatar
milpai
2,313 posts
 
I have no experience with impedance matching. But from a very recent experience, if you buy the A21, try to make use of the XLR instead of RCA. It made a HUGE difference, with my passive preamp. Good luck.
milpai's avatar
milpai
2,313 posts
 
Zd542,
My passive unit is a dual mono TVC that is completely balanced. My source is a Marantz SA8260 SACD player with RCA outs. The CDP outputs 2.2V whereas the A21 has a sensitivity of 1V for full output. Even with the RCAs in place from TVC to A21, the volts were 2.2 as it is now. I do not understand how the XLR affected the performance. So I assume that the A21 is optimized for XLR connection.
Yes, I love the TVC. The only negative against the TVC is - it does not have a remote...but who cares?
The XLR from TVC to the Parasound A21 made the biggest difference in my system. I should have done it on day 1 when I got the A21...but who knew.
milpai's avatar
milpai
2,313 posts
 
Zd543,
You may be right. And here is another simplistic answer that I received:

The A21 gain is 6dB higher when the balanced connection is used. The output of your Promentheus is also 2x, or 6dB higher than unbalanced. Each "leg" or "phase" of the XLR is the same voltage as the RCA and two legs is 2x more which = 6dB. The same thing occurs at the XLR inputs of the A 21.
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