Won't preamps become obsolete?

Why is it that each and everytime I bypass the preamplifier the sound becomes thin and sterile. It is true that there seems less "garbage" in the sound (less noise, less distortion), but there is also loss of bloom and spaciousness, which to me are very important omissions.

Further to my comments regarding volume control and transformer volume control (TVC). I like to add that I have the same TVC as in the Bent Audio passive box, but as built-in in my tubed phono stage, custom made by Kevin Carter of K&K Audio. I don't have a linestage. In my phono stage, I have a set of output for vinyl and another set for CD. The output for CDP goes directly to the TVC, so it's like a passive linestage without gain. Eventhough I don't listen to CD, I have this CD output just in case I get a CDP later. I have tried a CDP in this set up, it has more than enough gain. Most CDP have output of 2 volts. For my phono stage, it has 65dB gain, my cartridge is the Koetsu Rosewood Signiture with 0.6 dB and I have more than enough gain. Let me tell you, the dynamics is unbelievable with TVC. Standard volume control is resistor based, which suppresses high frequencies, bass and dynamics, TVC dosen't do that at all. I have numerous phono stages in the last 20 years and this is the best of them all.

I don't think so. The reason are several fold, of which two are:

1) Separating the first stage from the following stages relieves the problem of frequency dependent feedback through the power supply. This lessens sonic interactions between stages, resulting in better, more lively, sound quality.

2) Hum and noise are reduced without compromising the integrity of the design.

Steve
SAS Audio Labs

Sounds like the preamp, or for that matter the amp or speaker (possibly the extra ICs), doesn't have flat frequency response. (If the preamp is capacitively coupled, the input impedance (Z) of the amp may be too low.)

In otherwards, it is possible that one is compensating, sonically, for the other component(s).

Steve
SAS Audio Labs

Blptwp...What is a TVC? I am guessing that it is a multitap audio transformer. I don't understand your comment about superiority vs a resistor divider. It was a great step forward when interstage transformers went away, and here you are puting a transformer back into the circuit! Transformers have limited frequency response, and if they include core material (like iron) they create distortion. Power amp output transformers have extra windings applied to grids of the output tubes as many dB feedback to correct these transformer deficiencies.