High end stereo preamps? Worth it?


So we know the higher end preamps don’t include dacs and phono stages.  Highly desirable noise free devices.  I hear wonderful things about these preamps, Luxman, Accuphase, Audio Research, etc.

Are they as good as represented? 


emergingsoul

Showing 1 response by justmetoo

Surely its not just more components adding more ’noise’ - its a question of WHICH sort of components and WHICH sort of circuit implementation, no?
Maybe a drastic example of my own, a run of the mill mid/low-fi Rotel preamp I’d replaced by a Levison no. 326S preamp.
The difference like day and night. Maybe hard to believe - but that’s what can happen, and I’m pretty sure will happen - so long you own speakers, amp etc. that will match the ’new’ setup.
Cheap shoebox speakers and or low-fi amp will possibly just paste over the difference.
So as always it’s ’horses for courses’.
And the best expensive cable will NOT make any difference with a low/mid-fi preamp. Tried that of course too. Nada.
M. 🇿🇦