2. amps-preamps
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The Truth About Preamps

I'm wondering now that we're in the digital age with so many cd players having variable outs, what does a high quality preamp do for a system? I've heard so many different stories on either you get more detail straight in or that you get more bloom with a preamp. I would think that if you had a musical cd player such as a Cary running straight into a musical and smooth amp such as a Classe or Conrad-johnson you wouldn't need a preamp...all this given you have only cd as your source...I'm just wondering what you guys think and your experience running a cd player straight into an amp. I'm thinking of running a Theta Miles straight into a Classe CA-300
totalmlb
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
It's all in the impedance. if the Cd out can mate with the amp in... ok. If the CD uses a digital volume control, I would hate to use it. (imagine your 1 and 0's trying to do it in 1/100 the 64 step range...)
If the CD has a $200 analog volume control, hmmm maybe. (but the likelyhood of the Cd player having a super high quality volume control is near zero.
Then you get an external volume control, which is at it's most basic is what a passive preamp is. So then the issue is impedance. can YOUR amp hadle the sort of signal the CD puts out?
It's a "you listen and decide" sort of thing. I personally would not run the Cd player on it's own attenuation, no matter what.
Now lets' hear from the folks who like this....
budrew
467 posts
 
I don't know what preamps add beyond gain, but they do (perhaps it's their on character). It's like power cords. How the hell could they make a difference; it's just electricity. But they do! I've run a CD player with volume control direct and with a preamp. I liked attributes about both, but preferred using the preamp. The direct route was cleaner, but using the preamp made it more dynamic. I've experienced this when comparing active and passive preamps. Mahandave is correct; expensive preamps are worth it. They pass on the siganl "as-is" from the source while doing the preamp thing. I should add that I prefer tube preamps. They provide a realistic soundstage. Also, preamps allow using multiple sources (FM isn't dead yet!).
muralman1
1,527 posts
 
That was a great response, Elizabeth.

Budrew, the oft used statement equating an inert wire with a complex preamp is sophomoric.

Mahandave, you must know you are ommitting a great number of exquisite pre amps that sell new for less than $10,000.
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
I once started an archived thread basically about this topic, check it out at Ever Perform A Preamp Bypass Comparision Test? if you are interested...
totalmlb OP
12 posts
 
I'm wondering for example if I should get a Classe CP-60 preamp which is $3600 new with a $1500 Classe CA-100 power amp, or just bypass the preamp and get a CA-300 power amp being run straight in
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