2. amps-preamps
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How important is the pre-amp?

Hello all,

Genuine request here for other's experiences.

I get how power amps can make really significant changes to the sound of a system. And of course speakers have an even bigger effect. And then there is the complicated relationship between the speaker and power amp. But I wonder about pre-amps.

In theory a well designed preamp should just act as a source switch and volume control. But does it add (or ruin) magic? Can a pre-amp color the sound? Alter pace and timing? Could you take a great sounding system and spoil it with the wrong preamp? Stereophile once gushed (while reviewing a preamp that cost as much as a car) that the preamp was the heart of the system, setting the tone of everything. Really? Some people don't even bother with a preamp, feeding their DACs straight into the power amp. Others favor passive devices, things without power. If one can get a perfectly good $2K preamp, why bother with 20K?

What your experiences been?
128x128rols
sandthemall
544 posts
 
It’s about the size of the signal.
The signals from sources are very small and delicate...especially from turntables. Any sins committed here are, sorry for the pun... amplified.

This is why even the quality of the attenuator is so important in a preamp. This is why sound gets colored so easily.

A good preamp is so important. It took me a good while to understand this.
kellyp's avatar
kellyp
104 posts
 
Since you can drive your power amps directly, the preamp is only a buffer and input switch.  Therefore it can only degrade the sound.

However it is an opportunity to make the sound as colorful as you like. I guess people like that, and some like it alot.
avitacom
90 posts
 
For those of you who don’t need line level amplification (who don’t use a turntable) Marchand makes a high quality, battery powered passive “preamp” with motorized passive stepped resistor attenuator & remote plus selector.  The battety supply eliminates any noise that might be generated from a mains sourced power supply.  I have one of these and it works well.  It is no-frills, however—the cosmetics are adequate,IMO, but may not be adequate for some audiophiles for whom thick emgraved faceplates and that tupe of thing are important.
itsjustme
681 posts
 
Noble is a good place to start…..


???? for what?
itsjustme
681 posts
 
It’s about the size of the signal.
The signals from sources are very small and delicate...
Truer than most realize - gain from low output MC to line is about 1500X.

But i believe this thread would benefit form a very clear distinction between a **phono stage** and a line stage preamp with control circuitry. he question is clearly about the latter.

That said, its the existence of the phono (mixed analog and digital) that sometimes makes a preamp totally mandatory rather than a convenience and sonic choice.



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