Phono Stage - Passive Pre- Amp: Results??


Has anyone used a passive pre between their phono stage and amplifier with good results? If so, could you share the specifics regarding hardware? thanx much in advance.
128x128pawlowski6132

Showing 2 responses by atmasphere

If you are running passive between the phono preamp output and the power amp, you will find that keeping the interconnect cables as short as possible will be very beneficial.
Pawlowski6132, cable capacitance does play a role, but a more complex one than generally meets the eye. In addition to high frequency rolloff caused by the high output impedance of the passive control and the cable capacitance, the interconnect also has something called Characteristic Impedance (which cable capacitance plays a role in).

Characteristic Impedance is the property of the cable such that it will have no reflections when terminated at its characteristic impedance. IOW, a cable with a 150 ohm Characteristic Impedance will exhibit reflections unless a 150 resistance is placed across the cable.

The reflections in an unterminated cable are quite audible and is one of the differences you hear in cables, as nearly all of them have different CI. The lower the output impedance of the output that drives the cable, the less audible the reflections become.