[BlackCat]

According to Klaus, my Odyssey Monoblocks with Reference upgrade should ship next week.  I have recently heard that the amps might not get along too well with a passive preamp.  I have a Monolithic Sound PA-1 Passive/Active preamp, DH Labs BL-1 interconnects.  Is this going to be a problem with the Monoblocks?  Should I start shopping for a new preamp now?

[JoshK]

The best thing to do is wait and see.  One word of warning.  Let the amps break-in and warm up to their full potential before making any opinions or else your opinion will likely be wrong.  Try it out, live with it for a while.  I am sure you will really like the combo but if it seems like all the bass is sucked out after a while of evaluating then you might have an issue.  Listen for depth of bass on something you are really familiar with that has deep tones.

[amandarae]

I am using an Audio Research LS-12.   No problem with the bass and preamp-amp matching at all.   In fact, everyday, it sounds better and better.  My preamps puts out 1Vrms max.  So far, I can only reach 2 clicks pass the half setting.  Anymore beyond that I'll probably have to buy an earplug!

[drphoto]

amandarae,

I'm currently demoing an LS15 w/ Stratos Monos>modded Maggie 2c's and I don't have enough gain. I run the volume nearly all the way up just to get reasonable volume.

Of course Marbles would question my use of reasonable

[amandarae]

drphoto

That is strange!  The LS-15 is a tube preamp right?  How long is the interconnect that you are using? Balance or single ended?  Something is not right IMO.  Also if you like loud music (i.e rock etc), here's a portion of a review when this (LS-15) preamp is use for that application.

"Complaints
From the sonic point of view I'd have preferred a bit more punch and impact...sometimes Music requires more "swing" and a faster pace.
In other words it seems (in my opinion) that the LS 15 doesn't like to dress a leather jacket, a pair of torn blue jeans and leather boots. It feels OK when dressed with a classic black tail-coat, ready for an opera concert.
A little complaint, as cited above, about the poor mains cable and the rubber feet, inappropriate in a tube preamp of this class and price range.
Thumbs up for the damping rings on the tubes.
Finally a strictly personal remark: I prefer a REAL volume knob, better if coupled with a motor controlled by remote. "


Then again, I do not know what is loud or enough gain to your taste.

[Anton]

I use my four Stratos Monoblocks with a Placette passive. This preamp has two sets of out puts, so there is no problem with connections. The bass is powerful, the music is detailed (very detailed), layered, clear, transparent, dynamics are awesome, etc. etc.

Do not hesitate to consider a passive, albeit a good one. If you don't have vinyl, this is the way to go. If you have vinyl, as I do, buy a separate phono preamp.

Happy listening!

[BlackCat]

Thanks for your input guys.  I sure hope I can keep the PA-1 in there, I really like the little fellow.  If you haven't listened to one, I strongly recommend them.  It's passive up to the 12 o'clock position on the volume knob, there is a slight detent at that point, then dual mono amps kick in above that point.  It has a dedicated power supply the HC-1 I think it's called in a separate box.  The only thing scary about the PA-1 is its price, it's around $400 and may not be "classy" enough for some, but it is beautifully transparent and a nice piece of equipment.  Married to the Reference Monoblocks, I'm thinking it will be great.

[adamaley]

Hey, I know it's been 5 years since, your last post. I was just wondering how your Monolithic PA-1 fared with your Odyssey amps.