Pass amp paired with audio research pre?

Pass amp paired with audio research pre?

 Wondering if anyone has had experience matching a pass labs amp with an audio research preamp. Do they make a good combination?

I think it will work great, just make sure the "output impedance" of the AR preamp is at least 10 x lower than the "input impedance" of the Pass amp. (Some Pass amp can be too low for many pre's) .

Cheers George

I think it will work great, just make sure the "output impedance" of the AR preamp is at least 10 x lower than the "input impedance" of the Pass amp.

The thing to look at is the output impedance at 20Hz, which is often considerably higher than it might be at 1KHz.

@fanotunes, did you mean to say you currently have an RM-200? I’ve never heard of an RM-100! It, like the Pass amps, has a relatively low input impedance: 20k single-ended, 30k balanced.

The thing to look at is the output impedance at 20Hz, which is often considerably higher than it might be at 1KHz.

I didn’t think AR would "cheap out" on output coupling caps that are too small into anything above 10k.

As this infers they have 10uF output coupling cap. Plenty large enough even into 10kohm power amp which would be -3db @ 1.5hz!! plenty low enough.
20k amp like some Pass’s would be -3db @ 0.75hz!!!!!

"Stereophile review: During shipping, one of the four large, 10µF Teflon output-coupling caps at the right rear of the printed circuit board had broken off. ARC sent me a replacement"

Atmasphere: 

 Thank you for your note! Hypothetical. Trying to think about where I should go with future purchases. I live in the sticks. Not much opportunity to listen to other components. I try to read and ask questions.

Been thinking about audio research reference 5SE, Audio research reference phono 3, pass labs 250.8. 

I have a VPI classic 4 with a transfiguration Proteus cartridge…

bdp24:

  My bad! I have an older model RM 200. I fell in love with Music reference amps early on.

Feeling like my system is a bit too polite. Wonder if my speakers could use a kick in the pants from a solid-state amp. Love their organic sound though.

I listen to very little heavy metal. More 60s and 70s rock,  grateful dead, traffic, Fairport convention, Joni Mitchell, ...fair bit of jazz and classical. Do occasionally throw on some Steve Miller, the cars, the police, REM, from my high school and college days…

 Wonder how much of this politeness I can attribute to my audio research LS-16