I'm reviving a VERY old thread to ask a question. What about a cassette deck in between the CD player and amp? Due to my CJ blowing out, I temporarily ran the CD player (an X-Ray, which has no volume control) through my NAK 670zx (which does have an output control), and connected the tape deck to the amp (Classe 15). It actually sounds great (although I do miss the "tube sound"). Plenty of gain and power. I've read about the problems with compatibility and sensitivity, but as I said, there is plenty of power and gain. Is there a problem with this as a temporary setup until I can get my pre-amp fixed? I do not want to hurt my speakers (Vandy 2ce sigs) or my amp. Thoughts?
preamp vs. no-preamp
Hi guys, I would like to know your opinions regarding the classic question (which also has been posted many times in this forum, I know, I know) whether or not a preamp is needed for a good (= musical sound). You see, if you can delete the preamp and connect the DAC into the poweramp, you can save lots of money, sometimes up to $ 15,000 for a Conrad-Johnson ART (this is off course an extreme example). The money you have spent on the preamp can be used for buying a better source or amplifier (mono's?). So theoretically if you don't have a preamplifier you can improve the sound reproduction by: deleting redundant audio circuitry and interconnect cables, upgrading the quality of you source, poweramplifier or speakers.
My personal experience is that without a preamplifier the sound is becoming thin and uninvolving, but I know there are audiophiles who don't have a preamp in their audio system.
My personal experience is that without a preamplifier the sound is becoming thin and uninvolving, but I know there are audiophiles who don't have a preamp in their audio system.