All you need is a preamp with true HT passthrough
(not
unity gain).
Partly passive preamp?
I’ve been using an Audio Research LS22 preamp with my Krell duo 175xd power amp. I also use an Audio Research PH3 phono stage. Since the ARC preamp is about 25 years old, I’ve thought of replacing it. First, I decided to connect my PS Audio Directstream DAC directly to the Krell amp to see if it made a difference (the DirectStream has a good volume control). It sounds great. If I never wanted to use my turntable and tuner again, I’d consider sticking with this setup. My question: is there such a thing as a preamp which would allow me to use my other equipment but does nothing to the signal coming from the dac...which is essentially passive when using the dac input?