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In Reply to: Re: Pre amps. What a difference they can make. posted by johnnybravo on May 1, 2007 at 05:51:44:
I have found that once you reach a certain level, "less is more" when selecting a preamp(if any at all), they just tend to get in the way. With less sophisticated equipment, I find you need the help of a preamp to make things sound more palatable.
Follow Ups:
I agree with most of what you’re saying, but can’t imagine those with SOTA actives likes of an Einstein, Blowtorch, etc. have less sophisticated systems. I think a very good preamp is one that can control the volume and get the signal across without screwing it up, but the ones that can somehow make things more real are better. The way I see it, choosing between something that does nothing or something boils down to user preferences and the balance of the system.
I do agree that for many systems, it does make sense to do away with an active linestage if the gain, control flexibility, ease of use, etc. of a linestage are not needed. On a price/performance basis, it is hard to beat using a CDP's built in volume control or a good transformer or resistor-based passive volume control.It can be quite challenging to find an active linestage that works well in a system -- results are not easily predictable. I've heard a lot of very pricey linestages that performed badly IN A PARTICULAR SYSTEM.
But, all of the truly outstanding systems I've heard utilize active linestages, even when gain from the source and input and output impedance was not an issue. Microdynamics are more realistic when an appropriate active stage is utilized.
Of course, the big caveat is that a compatible linestage must be found and that can be harder to do than with any other electronics, except perhaps, a phono stage. A good CDP sounds good in just about any system it is put into, and, amps tend to have a particular sound regardless of the other upstream components. But, linestages are trickier to optimize because some differences are subtle, and often the result is unpredictable -- a linestage that sounded terrific in one system can sound quite mediocre in another.
So, I agree with you that less can be more, but if cost is not a big limitation, and if one has the persistence and the ability to audition candidates at home, I think active linestages can make a positive contribution to a system.
I have such a button on my HK integrated amp.When I press that the volume goes down and the preamp controls dont work.This means that the preamp is bypassed.I have been testing this over a long time now and I am surprised that the sound without the preamp is worse.I always thought that a minimal preamp was the best thing.As you said,it is not.I was planning to get a Creek passive preamp but now I have second thoughts.
Agreed! THe moment I ditched an external pre, things got better!
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