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Sound without the Preamp ?

I thought I posted this before, but can't find it so here goes. I need some help here. I removed my tubed preamp and plugged the balanced interconnects directly from the 2 tube monoblocks directly to an Accuphase CD player with volume control. A weird thing happened. The sound got better, more transparent, deeper and tighter base. I find this indded strange because, this tube preamp is one of the industry's heavyweights, with a price to prove it too. Am I just "hearing things " ??
et
pls1
432 posts
 
toMbhcid: In many combinations with a passive preamp what you have heard as to loss of "musical" properties matches my experience. If your CD player or DAC was designed to drive a power amp with an itegrated volume control that's one thing. If the design assumed an active line stage the combo of CD player or DAC, interconnects and power amp(s) may work or not. I tried several combinations before I found one that I liked overall better than a high quality line stage. I now use no preamp and a "shunt to ground" volume control from audiotweakers.com on the balanced inputs of my Melos monoblocks. That set up sounds better than the passsive preamps that I have tried.
redkiwi
1,092 posts
 
I have had similar experiences with lack of drive from passives, but passives can work very well with tube power amps due to the high input impedence of the typical tube amp.
joekras95c0
9 posts
 
Has anyone used the "Ultimate Attenuator". What are its advantages/disadvantages?
garfish
1,840 posts
 
After "getting into Et's post", I had to try my Sony XA7 (a well regarded CD player or transport) direct into my McCormack amp using the XA7s variable output. Volume control is on the remote. Music quality was so relentlessly detailed and edged that within half an hour it felt like my ears were bleeding; but the tremendous detail was initially captivating. Befroe you guys roast me for this though, I will admit that the probably poor to mediocre variable volume control of the Sony is likely to blame for the poor quality music. It was a big relief to go back to my DAC and SF Line 2 tubed pre-amp. I suspect that good CD players designed to go direct to amp have a very high quality volume control system, eg Carl's CD-50. Any comments about "variable outs"? Craig.
carl_eber
1,425 posts
 
Redkiwi, go to their website. Jeff does it the right way, or no way at all. Unlike every other compromised CD player (including the SCD-1), it uses discrete output devices and the VERY best switched resistor network to control volume. No CD player with volume control that I'm aware of uses such a compromised approach as the Theta integrated DAC that you used as an example.
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