Forgot to mention----sonic signature os interconnects and another power cord!!!!!!!! |
When you put a pre amp into your system you are now listening to music that has been changed by the manufacturer of said pre. If you had the option of playing two or three pre amps one after the other your system would sound a little different with each pre. Going direct with the correct combination of equipment can deliver full, warm and very detailed music. Every pre amp out there has some type of sonic signature---some you may like, others you may not. No pre---no signature------- |
Undertow,
Read my post again. You agree 100% with me and I with you.
Amen.
Bill |
A preamp is not needed if the goal is to simply have a way to control loudness/volume. However, if you want it to sound great, the best your system can sound, then to pick up that last 10 to whatever % of improvement you must have a good preamp. Key here is having a good/great preamp. I have always found that a good preamp improves the sound. I have found this regardless of the reference system I had at the time, regardless of how good the DAC or CD player was and finally regardless of the cost of the CD or DAC in question. I have owned the AA Capitole with volume, the Opus 21 with volume etc, and a good preamp always improved the sound greatly.
Only those who prefer a more threadbare or thin sound will go preless. Some do and for them preless is fine. These are the simple facts of this long debated question based on my experience with lots of top end gear and sound systems.
Ha! Have fun and play for yourself.
Bill |
"Direct Interfacing to Power Amplifiers:
The DAC1 USB is designed to interface directly to power amps and powered studio monitors in order to provide the cleanest and shortest path from the digital source to the monitor output. This often results in a substantial improvement in sound quality.
10, 20, and 30 dB pads are provided for interfacing directly to monitors and amplifiers that often have too much input sensitivity to handle high-level (+29 dBu) signal levels."
Above is from the Benchmark DAC1 manual. |
I guess the best answer is it depends as always...
Anyway, I just read a couple of manuals of the DACs with volume control.
Both of them kind of claiming that connecting directly to amp and using it's volume control is the best.
I guess for these DACs, better to follow the manufacturer's suggestion?
Benchmark DAC1
http://www.benchmarkmedia.com/manuals/DAC1_USB_Manual.pdf
Bel Canto DAC3
http://www.belcantodesign.com/pdfs/UG_Dac3.pdf |
I have found the opposite, if you want Body and the absolute dynamics, warmth etc.. Nothing can replace a good Tube Preamp, even no preamp.. Just my opinion, but something is always dry or missing in the emotional connection running digital raw, some super hi end players might put pretty good preamp sections in their top digital pieces that will work well, but I don't feel any DACS in these price ranges can compete up against the equal DAC with an excellent Preamp in the Chain. |
It really depends on your system, with multiple amps etc. I would think a preamp is necesary.
I am using passive preamp but I have very sensitive speakers (horns) and a very sensitive amplifier (low input voltage and very high input impedance) and in my case the passive did beat a top of the line preamp, by a very small margin.
In different cases active preamps do add body and dynamics to the music, but low quality preamps do mess everything up so it is dangerous. One of the most important parts of a preamp is the volume control which can vary in price and quality, I like resistor loaded attenuators, which can be used in active or passive preamps, a bad volume control can destroy the signal!
As always, there is no rule.... |
The other main con is that the outboard DAC may not have enough output to drive the power amps. Some DAC's only have the volume control as an afterthought.
I heard a system which was substantially improved by the addition of a preamp. Before the preamp was added, the system would run out of puff when given something dynamic to play. Even with the volume control maxed out, the system could not go higher than 85dB. CD's that were mastered at low volume were especially problematic - the lack of gain made these CD's much too quiet to listen to.
It all depends on your DAC and power amp. Specifically, the output voltage and output impedance of your DAC, and the input sensitivity and input impedance of your power amp. If these are poorly matched then you won't be happy.
All the best from sunny Australia!
Keith |
While you can do that, I think you'll find that most listners will suggest you still need an active preamp for optimal sound - that is the volume controls in DACs, while functional, are not up to the standards of dedicated preamplifiers. |
No. I only need a couple of digital inputs. One for a transport and one for computer.
What kinds of additional control would I need?
I'm wondering if there's sill added improvement using preamp as far as sound quality is concerned. |
No, it's a common misconception. If you're using the volume control on your source unit, THEN that piece is pulling double duty as your preamp. PERIOD
The heart of any preamp is Volume control.
I guess it's just a matter of time before people using a receiver, start saying they're forgoing a tuner and preamp. |
That's what they are designed to do. Downside? Do you have more sources? Need additional controls?
Kal |
