2. amps-preamps
  3. 1294988620

Putting a "pre-out" to use to get more power??

I am considering using the pre-amp out of my Creek 5350 integrated to use the pre-amp section with a better amp with more power than the Creek SE5350 Classic The question is whether the pre-amp section of the Creek is good enough to accomodate a better amp. I realize that the amp may provide a marginal difference in the sound, or its performance degraded if the pre-amp is not up to task with the outboard amp. I also am concerned about possible hum. There are a few used Quad 909 amps which might provide upgraded sound. I don't see many posts from members who use the pre-amp section of an integrated to control an external amp. This might be a waste of time and money than just going with good separates, or a very good IA. All opinions welcomed..... ****(I hope the Creek pre-amp out is not just to use with a subwoofer
sunnyjim

Showing 2 responses by stanwal

stanwal's avatar
stanwal
3,147 posts
 
As long as the pre out is a variable one controlled by the volume control it should work with any amp. How much better [or worse] the sound will be with the 909 is hard to predict. The basic question is do you really need more power? You don't mention speakers or room size so hard to tell. Just putting a 100 [for example] watt amp into a system in place of a 50 watt one will not improve the sound in every case. What is it about the sound characteristics of the two units that make you think that the Quad would be an upgrade? The Creek has a very good reputation for sound; I have used both of these brands [ and do now] but not these particular units, but even if I had the results would depend on your system and taste and not the experience of anyone else. Since IN GENERAL the preamp section in an integrated amp is weaker than the power one you might also consider getting a better pre and using the power section of your present amp, if this is possible. I have done both of these myself and it is hard to say which will give the most improvement in advance.
stanwal's avatar
stanwal
3,147 posts
 
If you want to spend some money the big Musical Fidelity integrated amps are a bargain. The NuVista, TriVista 500 and 550 all show up under $3000 quite often. My NuVista was superior to a friends Mac separates[ 402 amp and matching pre] driving his Wilson Sasha and it is the lowest powered of the 4. It gives my CJ 350 a good run. These all have tubes in the front end, but ones that will last years as they were developed for the military at the end of the tube era. But even my $5000 MF does not have a phono stage equal to the rest of the amp. I tend to think that the brightness comes from room/cable problems but rooms can be a pain, I have a 12'9" x35' myself and also have speakers that would do better in a larger room. What I would do first is to buy a ProJect Tube Box 11 SE[ or SE 11, I forget ]. I think you can get them from some of the retailers like Music Direct or Audio Advisor which allow home trials. They are about $650 and have beaten $2000 ones in HIFICRITIC tests. You may also want to look at something like the Ready Acoustic panels that I use, my wife actually likes them and they make a huge difference in sound; my room was way to live [bright] before I got them.
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