Suggestions for a tube pre and power amp

@lals I am using RCAs, but there was another thread discussing the S5.5 and Aric Audio Preamps on this forum. It was mentioned that @aricaudio can change the XLR impedance levels to accommodate the low impedance of the s5.5 balanced input. Aric did that for another audigoner. If you go that route just talk to Aric about it. He is a great guy and provides top notch customer service.

@mrsprinkles Oh okay. I have seen that thread, I thought you are using XLR. Another question I have is about the wait time from Aric audio preamps. I read that there is a long wait time.

Now is it good enough to go with RCA only?

I have tried switching between XLR and RCA between Luxman and Holo May Dac on the fly and observed volume difference due to gain difference and to my ear I liked XLR over RCA, may be higher volume is playing the trick.

Is there a technical explanation for why a balanced connection from preamp to amp is beneficial if you are connecting a dac to the preamp with balanced connections?

@lals I am not sure what his current wait time is. My wait time was approximately 3.5 months. Everything he does is handmade and put into queue at the time of order. Also, not sure if you saw but he just released a fully balanced preamp if you desire fully balanced.

I think everyone you ask about RCA vs XLR will give you different answers. I think it really comes down to your components and system synergy. The reduced gain was welcome in my system after I changed DACs which is why I made the change throughout from XLR to RCA.

Some people will tell you that XLR VS RCA only matters on long runs where the increased gain matters. Another aspect would be the elimination of potential ground loop issues by using XLR. So it really comes down to testing in your system and what you prefer, but if you don't have ground loops and don't have runs of 50ft+ I am not sure you would really notice the difference outside of the volume change after switching. You would need to do an A/B volume matched comparison to really know for sure.

@mrsprinkles that's my understanding about balanced vs unbalanced as well.  Some gear may be optimized for one type vs the other. 

All of my preamps over the years have only had unbalanced (NAD 1300, two different conrad-johnson, and my LTA MicroZotl).  My amp has always been close to my preamp, so no need for long cables.

I tried a $200 Audioquest balanced cable between my dac and preamp, but it didn't sound great.  I'm sure it's a result of the cable, not the connection type.  I really like my unbalanced Black Cat Silverstar88 cables (these are impossible to find today).