Active pre-amp would be the safe bet, even more so with a tube or SET amp, but each active pre-amp will impart a sonic signature of some sort. That's just a fact. So if teh goal is to keep that out of teh equation just don't overpay on the passive and give it a try if you must but be prepared to make tweak from there and make changes as needed. Its the usual routine. These things seldom work out just perfectly after the first crack, especially with more esoteric gear like SET amps and passive pre-amps, but things can be tweaked and refined over time. There are many ways to skin the cat which is what helps make all this stuff fun.
Input sensitivity, Gain and Preamp matching
Friends,
I am considering to buy an SET amp which has an input sensitivity of 2.5 volts (rather high) and gain is only 14 db (probably low ?). The output power is 16 watts. My choice of preamp was going to be a pure passive using a Dave Slagle autoformer or at most a single stage tube preamp with only 6db gain. But with the specs of the power amp I am not sure if a low gain or zero gain preamp would be a compromise or not. Can anyone throw some light on this subject ?
The input impedance of the power amp is a healthy 47kohms.
I am considering to buy an SET amp which has an input sensitivity of 2.5 volts (rather high) and gain is only 14 db (probably low ?). The output power is 16 watts. My choice of preamp was going to be a pure passive using a Dave Slagle autoformer or at most a single stage tube preamp with only 6db gain. But with the specs of the power amp I am not sure if a low gain or zero gain preamp would be a compromise or not. Can anyone throw some light on this subject ?
The input impedance of the power amp is a healthy 47kohms.