Pass Labs V Cary

[edwinr]

I bought an Audio Research LS25 MkII new in box. It was on runout and had just been replaced by the LS26 - so I saved big $$$. The problem I had was what power amp to match with it. Initially I went with an older Proceed BPA2which had balanced inputs and performed very well with the ARC. So it's okay to sort your preamp out first and use an older power amp. Maybe even consider a Rotel like the 1090. While the Rotel isn't a true fully balanced design like the Pass Labs X150.5, it does feature a quasi balanced option so you can use the balanced output from the ARC.

P.S. I like your Parasound option too. A little more expensive than the Rotel but probably better sound wise - although I've never heard both together to compare...