2. amps-preamps
  3. 1037172803

Preamp for ARC-Proac System - Is Balanced Best???

Hi Folks! I need some advice bad! I've been auditioning every type of amp out there for my Proac 2.5's, and the ARC VT100 mk2 tube amp keeps coming out on top. As many of said, you can't go too wrong with this amp. I've currently got a Rogue 66 preamp, Cardas neutral ref speaker cables, Harmonic Tech truthlink IC's, and a Cary CD308 CDP. An audio engineer friend was over last night and he looked at the amps schematic and said "Beautiful design, but you should be feeding this in balance mode rather than single ended. This amp was really made for balanced input". Looking at the tube topology, this appears to be so. So my questions are:

1) Should I expect a significant improvement in sound running it in balanced?

2) If so, please offer suggestions about the preamp. Optimally it would have a phono stage and a volume remote, and both single ended and balanced outputs - but I'm willing to compromise as needed. Especially the phono stage. If the price goes down sufficiently without one, I can get an external one.

Thanks. Thanks. Thanks!
peter_s

Showing 1 response by francisgruwezac03

francisgruwezac03
4 posts
 
I DONT KNOW ABOUT BALANCED OR NOT
BUT I DO KNOW ABOUT THE EXCELLENT MATCH BETWEEN ARC AND PROAC
IN FACT THEY USE AN ARC LS 2B MKII AND AN ARC REF ONE IN THE PROAC FACTORY TO TEST AND CONCEIVE THEIR PRODUCTS (they use Primare as well)
I have myself Proac future 1 (and i' ve auditioned the 2.5, 3.3 and 3.8 extensively).
The best matches are with tube preamp and ss power amp (i've heard 2.5 with pre-, power tube amp ARC: clearly less good).
All the people i spoke to whilst auditioning, seemed to agree on a slight benefit when using balanced outputs.

I'm myself shortlisting into buying a preamp: from the preamps i heard, i preferred ARC ref1 before CAT SLI sig before ARC LS 2B MKII. I will hear ARC LS15 in 2 days.
Hope i was any help,

francis
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