A point to be aware of is that the unbalanced input impedance of the XA30.5 is on the low side (20K per Stereophile’s measurements), and the largest of the three options offered for the output coupling capacitors of the latest Don Sachs custom line stage (1.5 uF) is recommended for use with amps having input impedances of 20K or more. Personally I would not choose a preamp having that kind of marginality. (The impedance of a 1.5 uF capacitor at 20 Hz is about 5.3K, and the impedance of the preceding circuitry will probably raise the overall output impedance to about 6K, which seems far from ideal when driving a 20K load).
I couldn’t find the corresponding specs for the Sachs Model 2 but I wouldn’t be surprised if the same issue would arise with it, or very possibly a worse issue if the output coupling capacitor is smaller than 1.5 uF.
Also, before choosing the Rogue RP-5 I would check with Rogue about its suitability for use with a 20K load, as its 500 ohm specified nominal output impedance could be much higher in the deep bass region.
Good luck. Regards,
-- Al
I couldn’t find the corresponding specs for the Sachs Model 2 but I wouldn’t be surprised if the same issue would arise with it, or very possibly a worse issue if the output coupling capacitor is smaller than 1.5 uF.
Also, before choosing the Rogue RP-5 I would check with Rogue about its suitability for use with a 20K load, as its 500 ohm specified nominal output impedance could be much higher in the deep bass region.
Good luck. Regards,
-- Al