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Best Preamp and Amp combination, interesting finding!!!

Hi all,

Yesterday, I decided to conduct a very interesting experience using my amp and preamp combinations. In the interest of fair discussion and also avoiding brand war, please allow me to conceal the name of the amps and preamps, knowing that both amps and preamps came from the same manufactures. The combinations are as below: 

Combination 1 (C1): $3000 preamp + $1000 amp
Combination 2 (C2): $1000 preamp + $3000 amp.

I went back and forth between C1 and C2 several times with multiple people, using the same speakers and DAC. The volume of both C1 and C2 was adjusted to be equal using my Db meter. 
At the end of the experience, almost everyone including me prefers C1. Which is a higher-end preamp combined with the lower-end amp. 
I was surprised by that finding. I always thought that the amp has a greater impact to sound quality, but my experiment proved otherwise. If you have any similar experiences, please let me know. I would like to understand why it happens that way. Why the preamp has a greater impact on the overall sound quality comparing to the amp?
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arcticdeth's avatar
arcticdeth
1,549 posts
 
@stringreen   


     Yes, sometimes yes, and sometimes no. 
   Brought home a McCormack LD-2 and matches better with the McCormack amps than 3 previous preamps.


   Onkyo-P308 matches with everything, as it’s voiced a bit n the warmer sound, the only preamp I’ve owned to match with almost every amp I have hooked her up too. 
The Sanders preamp (at first) was lacking bass, 100+ hours, totally opened up like a thick blanket was removed from the speakers.

  
jjss49's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
jjss49
6,612 posts
 
Yeah, lots of variables here obviously, but one of my biggest “aha” moments in audio was discovering just how important a preamp is to the sound of a system — in my system it’s third behind the room and speakers.  This is a good public service announcement to those who still think a preamp is just an input switcher and volume control.


+1 soix
pr
50 posts
 
Hello,
My best combinaison for me is
Mikrolampizator preamp (lampizator lukazs fikus)
Sony Ta-f7b power amp (V-fet transistors).
I prefer the V-fet sony sound than the V-fet yamaha.
richdirector's avatar
richdirector
266 posts
 
I went from a great Tron amplifier... Smaller bespoke UK maker into SS power amp... Was going to get a great Radford power amp... But changed my mind and got a Luxman integrated. I tried the tron into this using Luxman as power amp only and then also using the Luxman as a pre only into the ATC P1 power amp....
They were different and not necessarily worse... The tron Luxman might have had the slight edge but in light of removing boxes (phono/pre/power) and having a nice symbiosis between the luxman pre/power in one box I chose that solution.

But on a further note I now have boxes in the form of seperate power supplies for CD transport and streamer so nearly back to square one.... 
chilli42
107 posts
 
This is the kind of thing that makes the hobby so interesting and disturbing all at once
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