Ad010685,
Regarding your conclusions above:
1. In my own system detail, resolution, tonal sweetness, bloom and sound stage were improved by a preamp upgrade. Note I didn't say tonal character or voice as I believe this to be the province of the speaker.
2. The big things contributed by the amplifier upgrade were headroom/dynamics and bass authority. The improvements provided by my new preamp would not have been heard through lesser amplifiers or speakers.
3. The source controls the quality of information fed down the chain. Frequency extension, noise level, level of digital glare, harmonic content are the characteristics that come to mind. I did not find sound stage vastly improved by my CDP upgrade, but then I was using a pretty nice DAC to begin with.
Regarding $$$ allocation:
If the amp is good enough and drives your speakers well, $$$ spent on preamp will pay off.
Use a rule of thumb to determine what to audition, but use your ears to decide what to buy.
Best of luck to you.
Regarding your conclusions above:
1. In my own system detail, resolution, tonal sweetness, bloom and sound stage were improved by a preamp upgrade. Note I didn't say tonal character or voice as I believe this to be the province of the speaker.
2. The big things contributed by the amplifier upgrade were headroom/dynamics and bass authority. The improvements provided by my new preamp would not have been heard through lesser amplifiers or speakers.
3. The source controls the quality of information fed down the chain. Frequency extension, noise level, level of digital glare, harmonic content are the characteristics that come to mind. I did not find sound stage vastly improved by my CDP upgrade, but then I was using a pretty nice DAC to begin with.
Regarding $$$ allocation:
If the amp is good enough and drives your speakers well, $$$ spent on preamp will pay off.
Use a rule of thumb to determine what to audition, but use your ears to decide what to buy.
Best of luck to you.