2. amps-preamps
  3. 1075134605

Passive pre-amp any good???

I have a Air Tight ATM-4, like to match this with a good /budget pre amp, need some advise,

I have the Air Tight ATL-10A passive pre-amp and Pass Lab L passive amp like to try, but any one use those pre-amp before/comment??

Any other suggestion??, Is the passive pre-amp any good??, Why some people like the passive pre-amp?? or the REGULAR pre-amp wuill be better??

Thanks a lot.
tomho

Showing 1 response by bombaywalla

bombaywalla's avatar
bombaywalla
1,958 posts
 
My experience w/ passive preamps is limited. I have heard the ASL $500 xformer-based passive pre. It was driving an ASL power amp. Maybe matching was not an issue as both were from the same company?
The sound was exemplary, if I may say so! No thin sound at all.
The sound was very transparent & since I was listening to single-driver speakers (Cain & Cain Single BEN & Carolina Audio JTM) the sound was so very coherent!
I have a hard time understanding why an amp input would need a current drive! In my books, such an amp would a failure of a design! A power amp is essentially a voltage source so it's voltage in & voltage out (with high current drive). The input to a power amp is usually to MOSFET gates or to a BJT base both of which are high impedance & small signal. Current into a BJT base should be in the 1uA or less, if the beta is high (today this is *practically* guaranteed).
I'd believe you that you have heard a thin sound but I would not jump the gun & pin it to lack of current drive from the source component. It is *possible* that the passive pre hadn't broken in OR it might be possible that the passive finally revealed the true colours of the source component!
IMHO. FWIW.
More to discover