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Why amps, pre-amps, integrated amps???

OK, having thusfar asked questions on this forum that have exposed me to the odd raised eyebrow and snicker for my gross audio ignorance, I shall go farther still, and venture to ask: What, exactly, are amps, pre-amps, and integrated amps??. More to the point, what, exactly, is their purpose; what do they do? And why do pre-amps and amps still exist comfortably in the audio market when you can get them combined as an integrated amp?? I just don't get it. Would much appreciate your learned revelations - after, of course, you've finished with your hoots, knee-slaps, and cat-calls.
georgester

Showing 4 responses by atmasphere

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,116 posts
 
Johnnyb53 has got it right. The power supplies are the big issue- that and the way the grounds are set up. It is very easy to get crosstalk in integrated amps, in a way similar to to the way ground loops occur.

It is possible to build an integrated that gets around this, and if it is done, you will see a separate power transformer for each channel. If you don't see that in the integrated then you will be able to find separates that out-performs it.

I find that the main advantage of separates is the setup of the system. Its to your advantage to keep your speaker cables short- it can have a huge effect on impact and definition. Monoblock amplifiers allow just that, and especially if your preamp can drive long interconnects, you can place the preamp and the front end components in the room where they are least affected by bass, have the best WAF, or are the most convenient.

Integrated amps force you to place the amp between the speakers, often with longer speaker cables which means that even a great integrated may not be able to strut its stuff simply on account of longer speaker cables!
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,116 posts
 
The 'TIM' amps of the late 70s and early 80s proved to be a dead end. What they proved was that you can go overboard chasing specs to the detriment of the final product.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,116 posts
 
Yes, excessive loop feedback has been a problem in the past! I concur with the THD wars, but amps built for low TIM back in the early 80s or thereabouts definitely got a bad reputation.

It does not surprise me at all that progress has been made in that department. I suspect that we should also be paying attention to transient forms of harmonic distortion as well.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,116 posts
 
The voltage swing thing that Carver noticed is not for the same reason that he may have been able to get from the Phase Linear stuff. More here:

http://www.atma-sphere.com/Resources/Paradigms_in_Amplifier_Design.php

-in short, tubes make more voltage because they tend to be constant power devices, whereas (in general) transistors tend to be constant voltage devices.
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