Need Help From The Resident Experts


My problem:

My preamp puts out 30db of gain and the output impedance is 1.2K ohms.  My power amp input impedance is 22K ohms.  I can only use 1/4th of the volume controls (9 o'clock) and it is too loud after that point.  What would be the ideal output impedance for the preamp to mate well with the power amp?  Components in question are an Audible Illusions Modulus 3B and an Odyssey Stratos Extreme+++.  I would like to use more of the volume range and am open to a different pre.

stereo5

Showing 1 response by bdp24

The Modulus is well-known to have excessive gain, it's design dating back to the pre-CD era. Most modern pre-amps provide around 12dB. There are attenuators available for inserting between pre and power, or resistors can be installed on the inputs of your power amp to lower it's input sensitivity, I believe. I could be wrong!

The output impedance of your pre and input of your power has nothing to do with the gain, however. The old rule regarding pre-amp output impedance to power amp input resistance is a ten-fold one as a minimum: 1k output to 10k input. More is better.