Preamp for Mcintosh MC2500

Yes I see that now you don’t like detented vc and dual mono they are a pain to some. But as far as being more dangerous because of power delivery, not so.

As your amp say for theoretical example has 10 x gain on it's intput driver stage, and when/if your source goes faulty dc to 2v or someone yanks an interconnect, that would be a total of 20vdc to the amps output stage and speakers, survivable.  

Slip an active preamp in with another 10 x gain, and you have 200v theoretical volts going to the amps output stage and speaker. Everything gets smoked.

What’s more likely to fry amp and speaker, 20vdc or 200vdc?

Cheers George

You need to re-think Zoya.

EG: If an active preamp is accidently left up full connected to the direct input of the amp, and the source goes dc the amp will blow up and take out speakers.

If the source is only connected the passive variable input of the amp (no preamp) and the volume is accidently up full and the source also goes dc, it will probably still take amp and speakers out, but there is a chance of survival.

It has nothing to do with noise floor at all. It all about total gain and the amplification of a deadly problem.

Cheers George

I wouldn't run the amp without a preamp. To easy to damage speakers that way.

Why would you say this, if the volume is up on a preamp it's just as deadly, if anything it's safer going direct as there would be less full gain than a preamp would give full, and therefore less chance of damage.

Cheers George