2. amps-preamps
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Who is using passive preamps and why?

Seldom has there been any discussions on passive preamps in the forums and although my experience with them has been limited I have found them so far to be very enjoyable and refreshingly different. They seem to fall into their own category, somewhere between solid state and tube. Finding a preamp that is satisfing has been difficult. Some active solid state preamps can be very good but they seem to inject grain to some degree in the upper registers and some tube preamps are not too far behind. So far I think they should at least be matched up with an amp that has sufficient gain which is often overlooked. Which passives are you using and with what amp? Why do you like them?
phd

Showing 3 responses by cdc

cdc
1,902 posts
 
I have a P-L-P (pathetic little preamp) which is a 25k TDK motorized pot. At the risk of being called tin ears, or worse, my Adcom GFP-750 could switch between active and passive and the differences were virtually inaudible. Maybe becasue I listen at 60-70dB.
Active a tiny bit more dynamic, passive a tiny bit clearer/ less grainy.
cdc
1,902 posts
 
Why does the I/C from the source to passive pre have to be as short as possible while from the passive pre to power amp can be longer?
cdc
1,902 posts
 
Thanks Almarg. This was from Sam Tellig's column on the Halcyon passive pre.
He recommended .5m max from the source to pre and 1m max from pre to power amp. Then again I don't understand why you would store e and electronic component in a wine cellar either.
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