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Impedance Question?

OK so I know there's a lot of threads about matching impedance with pre/amp.  It would be really nice if someone could help out here! The whole impedance thing confuses me (doesn't take much).

So if I have an amp that has 10k impedance what range for output impedance would work for a preamp?

Any help would be great!
sqitis
auxinput
2,920 posts
 
Others have had issues regarding impedance.  If the amplifier input impedance is 10k, it is really only suitable to match to a solid-state preamp.  With a tube preamp, it can work, but you may start to see weak bass/midbass (among other issues).  Look for a higher impedance amplifier.  For example, the Parasound A21 has input impedance of 33k for RCA and 66k for balanced.  I have seen other amps with input impedance of even 100k or 200k.
tls49's avatar
tls49
1,351 posts
 
The amps input impedance should be 10 times the output impedance of the preamp. This is considered the minimum and since the preamps output impedance varies with frequency, it's better for the amp input impedance to be 15 or 20 times that of the preamp.

So if your amp is 10k, then the preamp should absolutely be no more than 1k, and to be safer the preamp should be in the range of 500.

georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
toddverrone554 posts09-29-2017 11:50amQuick and dirty answer: you want the amp to have an input impedance at least 10x the output impedance of the pre.

This is a good simple answer.

Cheers George
sqitis OP
55 posts
 
Others have had issues regarding impedance. If the amplifier input impedance is 10k, it is really only suitable to match to a solid-state preamp. With a tube preamp, it can work, but you may start to see weak bass/midbass (among other issues). Look for a higher impedance amplifier. For example, the Parasound A21 has input impedance of 33k for RCA and 66k for balanced. I have seen other amps with input impedance of even 100k or 200k.
So I had this 10k (Symphonic Line RG1) hooked to a Cary (SLP-03) 500ohm and yea I lost some bass/midbass for sure and couldn’t figure it out. However I’ve heard the SL hooked to a SLP-98 (800ohm) and it sounded way better, So I’m trying to match a pre with this amp and need all the help I can get.

Would a pre that has 600ohm -<1Kohm be safe to match?
sqitis OP
55 posts
 
And right now I'm using a pre that has 100-300ohm and can't figure out which is sounding better.....LOL  This damn hobby can drive me nuts at times but I still love it!

Thank you all for your help BTW!

Ben
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