Selecting Amp/PreAmp for Holo Audio May and ProAc D20R (Speakers)

[IgorSki]

Hello World,
this is my first message on ASR, please don't be too hard on me I have been with ASR for about a year, keeping constantly learning. Finally the day has come and I grabbed all my fancy, fat, big name speaker cables, usb's and interconnects and put them on sale, as well as my current Amp/Pre combo, Hope with this I can finance my system upgrade for good (end game hopefully)

So, here comes the situation:
- I have HoloAudio MAY on one side, using in NOS mode with Roon/HQplayer source;
- I have ProAc's D20R floorstanding speakers on other side (8 Ohm, reccomended up to 180W);
- And I would like to change Amp/PreAmp/Cable/Interconnect part of my system.

Currently my mind is set on:
- HoloAudio Serene PreAmp - good reviews and seems as fine match for MAY (so may be not even a question)
- Benchmark AHB2 - excellent reviewes, but... will this be a good marriage for the system ? Currently I use Perreaux Audio 100p+DP32 combo, 2x100W and this gives quite a lot of power for my needs. Given that AHB2 is also 100W into 8Ohm chnage should be allright. Also saw reviews of May+Serene+Benchmark being together, but not sure it's tested with speakers (rather headphones)
- As for speaker cables I was looking at Benchmarks's offer, that goes with AHB2, sort of logical, may be...
- As for interconnects - I have no clue, actually

Any reccomendations or thoughts on above? Alternatives?

Thank you in advance,
Igor

 

[amirm]

Hello Igor. Thank you for the kind donation to the forum. On your question, why are you buying a preamp? Doesn't your dac have a volume control? If you have no other sources to switch to, there is no reason to get a pre-amp.

 

[IgorSki]

Hello Igor. Thank you for the kind donation to the forum. On your question, why are you buying a preamp? Doesn't your dac have a volume control? If you have no other sources to switch to, there is no reason to get a pre-amp.

Hello Amir, thank you for such quick response! Indeed HoloAudio May do have a digital volume control. (I actully did try the direct connection to my current power amp, but I found it comes with more audible (and annoying) DSD pops and clicks. Plus this experiment accidently ended up with full power (DirectDSD in HQPlayer setting) into my speakers... that was loud.) But I also have few other digital sources that makes purely digital volume management fairly unfriendly (PS3 for example, used by my 6 y/o little daugher...)

 

[amirm]

Oh, DSD volume control does become tricky. That shot into the speaker must not have been "fun!" I have had that happen a few times and it is a super scary thing.

At this point, I would get the matching preamp from them for looks. Compatibility is not a reason though.

 

[IgorSki]

Oh, DSD volume control does become tricky. That shot into the speaker must not have been "fun!" I have had that happen a few times and it is a super scary thing.

At this point, I would get the matching preamp from them for looks. Compatibility is not a reason though.

Thanks again. Yeah, for the looks it's like you are reading my mind, hehe, this one of the arguments.

As for the Benchmark AHB2, I certainly saw your review (thank you for this work!), which created that 130+ pages thread. I assume that AHB2 device is euqally good with both speakers and headphones alike?