Pacific owners - use preamp or not?

[Zappadaddy]

I am obtaining Pacific with volume reg. and like to ask people who owns it if you use preamp or not. If you use preamp what brand and why.

 

[micha b.]

I use of course a Preamp (ARC Ref 40)….in my opinion you need for sure a very good preamp to top the volume control in the Pacific or Horizon…but then you have more powerful mids, more “strength“…and maybe a loss of some tiny details

 

[Zappadaddy]

No one else using preapmp with Pacific?

 

[dbeau]

No one else using preapmp with Pacific?

Pacific 2 using D Agostinno's Krell Evolution 202 and seperate power supply = very happy

 

[keithc]

I use the Pacific as both a pre-amp and source selector for vinyl.

 

[2ndLiner]

I have a Pac2 with a Conrad Johnson GAT2 preamp. The combination yields more body, greater natural sounding instrument/vocal tonality, and more emotional engagement than using the Pac2 alone. BTW, I had a “shootout” with the GAT2, an ARC Ref10, and a VAC Master. While all had their strengths the GAT2 clearly delivers a more emotionally involving listening experience. Would love to hear CJ’s ART 88 one day!

 

[christoph]

Pacific 2 using D Agostinno's Krell Evolution 202 and seperate power supply = very happy

Have you actually tried without preamp?

 

[Zappadaddy]

I have bought Pacific version from 2020 balanced with vol.reg. beacause of the impedance mismatch it was not listenable, when I inserted preamp NAT Magnetic real music started to coming out of the source, incredible and emotional, I could not stay still, it made me sit-dance. Magnetis is on loan only and I feel it is not the end of the game preamp. How about Allni 7000 pre? Anyone has an experience?

 

[dbeau]

Have you actually tried without preamp?

My Pacific2 does not have VC

 

[christoph]

My Pacific2 does not have VC

Difficult then