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How to judge a preamp's sound

I just heard a YouTuber review a preamp. He told the audience that he tried it with many amps, and then went on to offer descriptions about "the" character of the preamp (bass, midrange, and treble, etc.).

My question is, Can someone accurately generalize about "the" sound of preamp across a variety of different amps? Wouldn't the amps be enough of a variable to at least complicate the "character" of a preamp? This is a serious reviewer with many subscribers.
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Showing 2 responses by avanti1960

avanti1960
1,411 posts
 
you can hear tendencies in preamps that carry accross different power amplifiers much in the same way different phono preamps can sound  distinctive despite different turntables, cartridges and amplifiers. 
synergy matching is very important to optimize the overall sound.  
avanti1960
1,411 posts
 
The idea that a preamp should not have a sound is over simplifying its role.  
Ideally it should not add or subtract from the tonal spectrum and balance of the source but this is not realistic.  Preamps can be evaluated on their tonal presentation and balance and how well the do at the frequency extremes and how transparent and clean sounding it is.  
Also it should not add any additional noise or distortion but again this is not realistic. 
Finally the amplification withing the preamp can be evaluated on its representation of drive and dynamic energy.  For me a preamp should offer exceptional micro and macro dynamic energy.  
Bottom line- a preamp can easily be evaluated on its sound quality when compared against others.  Saying it should have no sound is a gross over simplification and not possible.  
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