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I tend to disagree

Posted by AbeCollins on May 15, 2011 at 10:10:48:
What passive setup did you experience and the rest of your associated gear?

This is too much of a generalization about passive preamps. There are good ones and bad ones, and all of them require much more careful synergy between the components. And I'm not talking "synergy" in a hocus pocus or vague mythical way.

In my experience, the ideal passive setup will have source components with robust low impedance signal output and possibly higher voltage output than typical. My Cary 306/200 CDP comes to mind with it's 3vrms output. The power amp should have a good amount of gain AND sensitivity, and the speakers should be somewhat sensitive so you're not having to crank the volume way up to get modest listening levels. You want to have enough adjustment range in the passive so you're not at the extremes. Short interconnects with low capacitance are also desirable.

In my experience and in my system at the time, I found the respected McCormack TLC-1 to be very transparent but "thin" sounding in the mids. I found the popular Adcom GFP-750 to kill the dynamics in passive mode and not especially engaging in active mode, although Stereopile raved about this mid-fi piece several years ago. (I had to try it for myself, I didn't like it).

It all came together for me when I tried the Placette Passive linestage. It was not only unbelievably transparent and "clean" sounding but it had good midrange, bass, and treble extension. There was no "bass suckout" or lack of midrange. On the other hand, it didn't "color" the midrange and enhance it as so many linestages will do, especially vacuum tube units.

Dynamics were also excellent in my passive setup, probably in part due to the strong source signal and gain and sensitivity of the power amp in the system along with somewhat sensitive speakers. I didn't have to "crank it way up" in order to make the system come alive with dynamics.

Yup, the passive setup that I had was probably one of the best sounding I had assemebled. I also very much enjoyed the Cary SLP-05 vacuum tube linestage with incredible midrange. Incredible because like so many active linestages available, they are "voiced" to enhance certain regions and to cater to certain tastes. The Placette and other good passive linestages are none of that. They don't add to or subtract from the source.

So to make the generalization that passive linestages lack midrange is all wrong. What is your reference? A warm and robust sounding tube linestage? Nothing wrong with enjoying that type of sound - I certainly do as evidenced by my current setup. But to say that all passives lack midrange is just plain wrong. It may just be a matter of system synergy and your reference point.