Never considered passives and have only used actives or integrateds. I read a lot online and the guys praising passives are not that many. And direct to ampers always seems to lead back to using a preamp again. |
It may be that active preamps often sound better.
The next question would be: why?
Synergy is always a consietation. Why would a good passive mated well be any lesser than with an active pre? Easier to mate correctly perhaps due to voltage and impedance matching? If that is done right, what secret ingredient is still missing?
There is usually a reason why some things work better than others.
Of course if a sub 1k passive can compete with the best active pres as some claim, that would be a significant thing. |
I have to join the chorus and say if you're dealing with a "high"
quality active preamp the sound will be superior. Initially direct or passive
may seem more transparent but over time and continued listening it's
apparent that the sound is leaner and lacking the complete sonic picture
(tone, body, emotion and information). Jaxwired hearing more transparency
with his active preamp isn't a surprise. Top notch active preamplifiers are
essential to achieve the best sound from a system IMHO. Lots of listeners
have tried to eliminate the active but eventually realized that their sound
suffered in its absence.
Charles, |
I always went DAC with volume, (W4S dac2, and lampizator) with the idea that simple is better. And less to buy?! Hell yes. I have since added a Shindo Aurieges L and tried other preamps. Like others stated above it surprisingly added depth, image, and weight. And i do now believe it is the heart of the system and hard to eliminate. |
Good is good.....however one gets there. |
Like others here, have tried using multiple high end DACs as preamps and always end up liking a preamp in the loop better. Sound is better in almost every way with a very good preamp. Surprisingly even transparency is better. I cannot explain it. I want very much to have the simplest high end system I can create that still delivers top notch sound quality. I do believe it is the future, but not there yet. I've also tried passive preamps with varying degrees of success. Prefer an active preamp to the passive also. |
I've tried it and didn't care for it. While I don't think you need much gain at all, no gain seemed to blunt the transients and diminsh the PRAT in my system.
I had high hopes for the Portal Pinnache when Joe first put it out, but it seemed to suffer from the same shortcomings that other passive preamps that I had tried. |
A really good preamp (tubes) is always better!! |
I thought, with the Aesthetix Io with volume, even upgrading to Eclipse and dual power, that I would be safe -- no need for a preamp. I was wrong. I strongly suggest you listen to a good preamp in your system before going too far down the "direct to the amps" road. At least, in my case, even with a superlative source, it did not work out. |
It is something I want to try as well sometime.
1) I like the simplicity of the solution for the task at hand
2) I am curious how things might sound if done right
3) I like the small size and low price
For now, I have 4 decent quality pre-amps to tinker with as needed and I have seen that all have been capable performers to meet my needs. They are all a tight fit in my enclosed audio cabinet however, a minor inconvenience when it comes time to dabble mostly. |
I have tried it many times, I've always gone back to my trusted preamp... But, I'm doing it again shortly. Just built a DIY ES9018 USB Dac that is bit perfect through windows volume control... So, one more try for me.
Tim |
Amp should have high input impedance and sufficient input sensitivity to suit passive preamp. |
Hello Herb, I have tried to remove a preamp from my system several times over the last 20 years or so. Either by going direct from source to amp or using a passive control unit. Basically, all I really learned from my experimentation was just how important a preamplifier can be in the overall sound of a system.
I have found that preamps can be the most difficult part of a system to get right, but when you do, it's stunning, as Alan (Arh) has also noted. At this point, I do not plan any further experiments without preamps, in fact now I believe the preamp to be the heart and soul of the system. As usual, YMMV. |
i've tried using various DAC's with variable outputs in lieu of a dedicated preamp but was never satisfied with the results and always ended back with the pre in my system. this was the case until i tried the placette RVC, which has obviated the need for a preamp entirely for me. |
I have used a passive (Sonic Euphoria) in the past and also run my cd players or dac straight to my power amp. Bottom line my Shindo Auriges is simply superior to anything else I have tried. The Shindo gives me an emotional connection to music that can't be surpassed
Alan |
There is no right or wrong answer. Each case will be different. PErsonally I would strive to minimize the role of the pre-amp. IT is needed for source switching if more than one source and volume control only for the most part these days. Everything else can be addressed elsewhere case by case if needed.
I have several older pre-amps around that I continue to use because they are there and they work well. Were I starting from scratch today, I would probably consider building around a high quality passive pre-amp with volume control and enough inputs and outputs to suit my needs. That's pretty much it. I would expect top notch results possible with this approach for lower cost if done right. |
I have tried passive and always return to high quality active. There is slight gains in transparency with passive, but I prefer the dynamics and size of stage to a small % gain in transparency. |
