Returning to ask your advice and counsel, probably more like seeking counseling, on the topic of pre-amps and amps for my recently acquired 3.6s. Recall that I'm just getting back into audio after decades away.My plan was to work backward from the 3.6s and buy better (mid-fi) components to drive them: pre-amps, amps, CD players, etc. But something odd has happened along the way.
I like the sound a lot better with a CD player directly into a power amp. Is this nuts? It's clearer and has a lot less compression that way.
Here's the part that has me seeking counseling. Just to hear some Maggie music till I get geared up, I'm running an old Technics CD player from the early 90s into a QSC RMX 1450 power amp that I pulled out of my band/studio's PA system. It's not even a "stereo" amp, but it's got two volume knobs, 400wpc, and there's enough oomph from the CD player to run the Maggies plenty loud.
(Maybe too loud - I've already blown a tweeter fuse once! - a heart stopper till I realized, a fuse died to save my tweeter ribbon.)
I've also played the same setup with (individually) these additions: (1) an EQ rack unit (2) a small mixer unit with pre-amp and EQ knobs (3) a dedicated PA pre-amp (4) my mainstay Yamaha AV receiver, 100 wpc, with all the Tone knobs.
Well, the various forms of pre-amps add some body and low-mid fullness, but they all seemed to take away some clarity and dynamics compared to the sound of the CD player directly into the power amp.
Questions, good sirs: Am I nuts? More to the point, should I keep planning to add a good mid-fi pre-amp and power amp at all? Will the pre-amp (I'm thinking Parasound 2100) just do the same fullness thing or will it be more transparent than all these low-end PA devices? Will mid-fi power amps (I'm thinking Parasound 2250 or Emotiva UPA-1 blocks) be clearer still than a noisy-fanned rack PA power amp?
Am I totally overthinking this? I'm guessing that some of these questions must have come up before, and before I spend a whole lot more money, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
I know I'll have to go pre-amp if I ever want to hear my turntable, but the rest of it has my gear plans on "pause."
=K
Edits: 02/01/12
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Topic - More confusion over pre-amps and amps for Maggie 3.6s - K-wey 09:03:49 02/01/12 (24)
- RE: More confusion over pre-amps and amps for Maggie 3.6s - K-wey 14:44:20 02/22/12 (0)
- RE: More confusion over pre-amps and amps for Maggie 3.6s - josh358 11:05:54 02/16/12 (0)
- The only way to go budget high end preamp is a passive - johnvb 04:39:12 02/16/12 (0)
- RE: More confusion over pre-amps and amps for Maggie 3.6s - Satie 18:58:14 02/02/12 (0)
- RE: More confusion over pre-amps and amps for Maggie 3.6s - acroy 07:52:10 02/02/12 (1)
- RE: More confusion over pre-amps and amps for Maggie 3.6s - josh358 19:43:07 02/02/12 (0)
- RE: More confusion over pre-amps and amps for Maggie 3.6s - K-wey 07:03:51 02/02/12 (6)
- RE: More confusion over pre-amps and amps for Maggie 3.6s - pictureguy 17:32:40 02/15/12 (0)
- RE: More confusion over pre-amps and amps for Maggie 3.6s - josh358 11:16:22 02/06/12 (0)
- Update: Added a sub this weekend to Maggie 3.6Rs .... - K-wey 07:24:53 02/06/12 (0)
- RE: More confusion over pre-amps and amps for Maggie 3.6s - tyu 10:39:10 02/02/12 (0)
- RE: More confusion over pre-amps and amps for Maggie 3.6s - jult52 09:01:00 02/02/12 (1)
- Tried changing CD players over the weekend .... - K-wey 07:19:11 02/06/12 (0)
- Good to see you're using your ears and - jult52 13:20:54 02/01/12 (4)
- RE: Good to see you're using your ears and - audioNeil 15:59:18 02/15/12 (0)
- RE: Good to see you're using your ears and - ahendler 13:59:24 02/01/12 (2)
- Me too. - sbrians 15:28:18 02/03/12 (0)
- ahendler - Glad you're enjoying your Shindo - jult52 08:58:07 02/02/12 (0)
- RE: More confusion over pre-amps and amps for Maggie 3.6s - tyu 11:27:47 02/01/12 (1)
- RE: More confusion over pre-amps and amps for Maggie 3.6s - ProfPaul 13:15:22 02/01/12 (0)
- RE: More confusion over pre-amps and amps for Maggie 3.6s - josh358 09:53:56 02/01/12 (0)
- RE: More confusion over pre-amps and amps for Maggie 3.6s - ahendler 09:29:25 02/01/12 (0)
- RE: More confusion over pre-amps and amps for Maggie 3.6s - Dawnrazor 09:15:59 02/01/12 (1)
- RE: More confusion over pre-amps and amps for Maggie 3.6s - stigs 10:16:57 02/16/12 (0)