2. amps-preamps
  3. 124518-4158

Just what kind of preamplifier section does an integrated amp have?

Is the preamplifier section of an integrated amp really good: active or passive? Or is it just a simple circuit to control the volume of the unit and then call it integrated so that it can be sold at a much higher price than a simple power amp? Any comments? 
tiofelon
paraneer's avatar
paraneer
818 posts
 

Your questions are too generalized to give you any one answer.  So much depends on the integrated amp.

For example, there are integrateds with very good preamp sections that can better some separates.  And vise versa.  While most preamp sections are active, there are some with passive preamps too. The Creek 5350 comes to mind.  Finally there are a lot of power amps that cost way more than even a top class integrated.

So again, it all depends on the component being discussed.  It would help to know why your are asking.

tiofelon OP
47 posts
 
Thanks for your response paraneer I was just wondering about the sonic quality of the preamp section of integrated amps.
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
I think as paraneer stated, you can not just lump all integrated amps together and judge the sonic quality of their preamp section. Some integrated amps have very good preamp sections, some integrated amps have not so good preamp sections. Just as you cannot judge the sonic quality of the DAC section for all CDP’s. Some CDP’s have good DAC’s, some CDP’s have not so good DAC’s.
You cannot judge the sonic qualities of a speaker based on whether it is a single driver, 2 way, 3 way, or 4 way design.

If you had a particular model in mind, perhaps you could get an opinion of the preamp section of that particular integrated amp.
tiofelon OP
47 posts
 
Well, actually I compared the sound quality (the preamp section) of a Benchmark DAC1 USB driving directly a pair o Rotel 1091 monoblocks versus using a little Axiom passive atenuator. I do prefer by a wide margin the sound using the Axiom!
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