Are Their any Tube Preamp with Home Theater Bypass?


Does anyone have experience with a decent tube based preamp with a home theater bypass feature?

kota1

My BAT VK30SE has theater bypass, but I don't use it anymore.  Instead, I run my home theater front pre outs into the SE inputs on my Bryston 4B SST2, and run the 2 channel preamp into the balanced inputs.  When I want to do theater, I just flip the input switches to SE and when I listen to 2 channel, I flip it back.  That way the systems are isolated but I still get the benefit of the Bryston and Maggies in the HT setup.

The Cary Audio Design SLP-05 preamp has a perfect HT Bypass.  When switched to HT Bypass the incoming signal only travels through a couple relays and back out the jacks.  So no active circuitry in the signal path.  Just in one jack, through the relay and back out!  And it’s an outstanding sounding preamp. Especially if you get one with the Ultimate Upgrade.  Much more refined sound then the standard version and you can probably find a used one at a decent price. 

My Rogue Perseus has one, never used it so I can't vouch for how it works. I was going to list it so if interested pm me.

@jcwilson (and other Freya owners) You are correct about the Freya+ not converting single-ended inputs to balanced outputs in passive mode, as stated in the Owner’s Manual under the head ‘Connections.’ However, the Freya also has the unity gain buffered output which performs the conversion without using the tubes, Idem, under head ‘Controls.’ As a Freya owner, one of my biggest frustrations was the level control between input selections. I actually replaced the volume knob with a ‘blade’ knob so that I could tell at a glance where the volume was set before I switched sources. Another consideration is that the Freya+ would need to be powered up to perform the SE to balanced conversion. As for passive mode, the Owner’s Manual references a ‘resistor ladder’ in the circuit, there is nothing said about if the signal would still pass though if the unit was not powered up, but I wouldn’t think so. I believe there is a ‘power on’ relay for the unit as a whole, I know there is a 45 second delay for the tube mode. I suspect there is a microprocessor involved is system startup and monitoring functions. 
y 2 cents

@oldrooney Thanks for the information.  I see that now in the manual about converting single-ended input to balanced output.  But I still don't understand if there is any way to fix the volume of the Freya when you have a singled ended AVR input and balanced outputs to amp.  If you want to have the Freya's volume controlled by a connected AVR (single-ended), you would put the Freya in buffered mode and then do what with the volume.  turn the volume all the way up like they suggest to do in passive mode?  Or do you have to determine where the volume should be for playing the AVR and just put it at that spot every time you switch to AVR?  Or would it not matter where the volume is?  This is where I remain confused.