Vinnie Rossi & Amp Pairings

Yomaha · « **on:** 6 Oct 2020, 07:12 pm »

I've got a LIO w/ DHT's. The LIO of course is dead quiet, but I've been curious about what other amps would sound like with the 300B's in the preamp stage. I guess other folks have been too! There was an old thread in the Rossi circle about other amps that people had tried, but I could not find it. (Are those threads still accessible?) I'm curious to see what other amps people have tried with LIO or L2 and how that has worked out.

I have a Pass Labs XA25 en route. It is 25w of Class A @ .01%THD. See Stereophile measurements here: https://www.stereophile.com/content/pass-laboratories-xa25-power-amplifier-measurements

I'm not really a measurements guy, I'm a 'how does it sound guy.' But I was curious about an amp with a purported very low noise floor matched with a clean power preamp like the LIO. I knew right away when I got the LIO that the backgrounds were blacker, more space around the performers and better imaging, and that, for me, is when I began to appreciate lower noise and clean power. I think the LIO DHT + Pass Labs XA25 will make an interesting match. Hopefully this weekend I will get to find out!

JakeJ · « **Reply #1 on:** 6 Oct 2020, 09:36 pm »

I agree, you are in for a treat. I'm a big fan of tubed preamps feeding SS amps and I have a Pass Labs X350.5 fed by an ARC LS25 MkII that just sounds awesome on my Maggie 3.6r's.

krustykat · « **Reply #2 on:** 6 Oct 2020, 10:45 pm »

I'm sure you'll be quite happy. I'm using my Lio DHT preamp & Dac 2.0 with a Pass Labs XA30.8., which is the big brother of (and very similar to) the XA25. Get a good power cable for your amp and some Takatsuki 300bs for your LIO and you'll be happy a long time.

Yomaha · « **Reply #3 on:** 7 Oct 2020, 02:47 am »

Years ago I had it SS pre into tube amp, not really knowing what I was doing. I finally realized I had it backwards😜.

I sprung for the TAKS and it’s been totally worth it. I have PS Audio AC5 power cords. I’m open to trying different cords tho. Just haven’t gone down the power cord research rabbit hole yet. Any favorites that have seemed to agree with the 30.8?

krustykat · « **Reply #4 on:** 7 Oct 2020, 01:42 pm »

I've been using a Triode Wire Labs "Obsession" cord with my XA30.8. It matches well with the amp, it gives an organic natural feel to the music without affecting the tonality or frequency extremes. I've tried other cables with the amp, but I always come back to this one.

I.Greyhound Fan · « **Reply #5 on:** 7 Oct 2020, 04:31 pm »

A lot of guys on the Audio Shark forum fancy Shunyata power cords and swear by them. I use Cullen Cable PC's along with a PS Audio. I am not sure they made much of a difference except for a slightly blacker background. I am using a BAT VK51se tube pre and a Pass X250 amp.

krustykat · « **Reply #6 on:** 7 Oct 2020, 04:47 pm »

Jay Luong has reviewed a large number of power cords on his Audio Bacon website. You might find this an interesting read. https://audiobacon.net/2019/08/17/27-audiophile-power-cables-reviewed/

Yomaha · « **Reply #7 on:** 7 Oct 2020, 05:49 pm »

Thanks y’all - will check it out. I see shunyata come up favorably across a lot of different publications so I’d take that as a good sign and see a lot of love for TWL. Plus o know Vinnie Rossi has done shows with TWL. I believe Volit has too, but I might be wrong?

I have a PS Audio P3 regenerator that my DAC and turntable are plugged into. I’m assuming the XA25 should go into that as well. I haven’t done much reading to see if the regenerator helps or hurts or doesn’t affect the amp.