I’m a prime example of what Ralph has stated above. For about 6 years I owned a well thought of phono pre and just thought the tics and pops were part of the vinyl. Couldn’t believe the difference and improvement when changing phono preamp. If playing a clean copy can’t hear anything but the music.
As to the gain/voltage equation, the purchase of an amp with only 18db of gain negated the use of my preamp, which had only 12db of gain. To add to the imbalance, the amp requires 2.5 volt input to reach full power. Purchased a preamp with 20 db gain that definitely pushed the amp to full power. The preamp manufacturer actually mentioned that the amp’s lower gain would be a plus in combo with his preamp. All in all things are matched up very well. And I’m done for the foreseeable future.
Posters like Ralph (AtmaSphere) and Almarg are very valuable to this forum. The technical info they provide can guide you to make sound purchases.
As to the gain/voltage equation, the purchase of an amp with only 18db of gain negated the use of my preamp, which had only 12db of gain. To add to the imbalance, the amp requires 2.5 volt input to reach full power. Purchased a preamp with 20 db gain that definitely pushed the amp to full power. The preamp manufacturer actually mentioned that the amp’s lower gain would be a plus in combo with his preamp. All in all things are matched up very well. And I’m done for the foreseeable future.
Posters like Ralph (AtmaSphere) and Almarg are very valuable to this forum. The technical info they provide can guide you to make sound purchases.