Placette linestage vs. Adcom 750 passive

Perhaps you don't know what the term, "transparent" means. You don't "hear" a Placette AT ALL. If what is passed to your amp is "dry", that's what your source is delivering. Some people prefer colorations/inaccuracies in their reproduction. If this is what you are seeking, the Placette will not deliver, as it will add(or subtract) nothing to(or from) the signal. If you want to hear exactly what the source is delivering, the Placette is the passive for you.

I have had the Adcom and currently have the Placette with Merlin speakers. The Placette was significantly better in every way. On my system the Adcom sounded brittle and bright while the Placette, still slightly on the dry side, toned down the highs, solidified the imaging and had a more coherent presentation. I would recommend the Placette over the Adcom. I can’t comment on the other passive preamps.

What is being compared here, the Placette remote volume control (passive) or the Placette active linestage (unity gain, but it utilizes an active buffer stage). I own, though I no longer use, the Placette Active. In my system, the Active was more dynamic and musically engaging than the passive remote volume control.

I have used a Placette with Merlin's as well. It was a huge improvement over an audio research pre I had previous to it. Incredibly clean sound, very smooth. I now have a Joule but have kept the Placette as I couldn't part with it. the Joule may be a bit more euphonic but not as detailed. I enjoy them both. It's been a while since I had the placette in the system. I guess the real test that says it works in my system, is the I am looking forward to hearing it in the system again with a degree of excitement, it performed that well in certain ways.

Hello Rafael,

I never heard the Placette, although I was considering it while I was looking for a passive unit.

I really don't know what or why it is, but in my system the Promitheus C-core TVC sounds amazing. I'm running an all balanced system, and the C-core TVC is a true balanced design. I ordered my dual-box C-core TVC with two balanced inputs, one RCA input and two balanced outputs. I tried the RCA input first and I have to admit that it was not nearly as good as the balanced inputs. Again, I don't know why this is, but this TVC mates really well with the rest of my system as it is.

Also, this unit has responded extremely well to the cable updates I've introduced recently, which is a concern I had.

Best,

iSanchez