Eliminated my preamp with amazing results

@mitch2 I did not have the DeHavilland preamp when I owned the Music Reference amp, but did use the Music Reference RM9 MK2 both with and without a preamp and never felt like I was missing anything when the Weiss volume control was used sans preamp.

@eoj4952 

Same thought different piece. Can a preamp be replaced by a cd player with volume control, be hooked directly into a 450 watt amp. Or would the speakers explode when turned on. I only play CDs

If the volume control works properly there is no reason the speakers would explode. It should effectively attenuate the signal going to the speakers just as a preamp would. If you're running this CD player through a preamp then you have 2 volume controls in the chain which is unnecessarily redundant and possibly affecting the sound negatively.

One way to find out.

This brings up the question..."what is the function of a preamp?"

My understanding is that it has 2 main functions. #1 is to control volume. #2 is allow selection of various source components. I didn't think the preamp was intended to 'add' anything to the signal and a good preamp does as little damage/degradation to the signal as possible. Adding gain does make the sound more lively but can amplify unwanted artifacts. For some, tube distortion is a positive thing. To each their own.

For some, it appears the purchase of a preamp may be an unnecessary expense and may even improve the sound by removing it.

This brings up the question..."what is the function of a preamp?"

A very good question, @gdaddy1 which you almost answer completely, but I’d say a little off.

Besides source selection, a preamp’s jobs are:

• Level MATCHING
• Impedance MATCHING
• Equalizing (for phonographs)

Preamps used to have to contend with very low input signals, such as from a radio, so they often have way more gain than necessary. Amplifiers also had a variety of input impedance, and the phonograph, tape player or tuner may not have handled it well when connected directly.

To summarize, preamps provide high gain, high input impedance and low output impedance. That’s the technical reasons for a preamp instead of say, a passive volume control.

In the modern age, with relatively standard amplifier gains (20x) and high input impedances (25kOhms or higher) the preamp seems almost vestigial.

As many who know of me here, I have been generally barking up the tree, how wonderful my totl single ended Luminous Audio passive has been. Recently, I acquired from my friend rawsonte ( negative comments keep to yourselves ), a diy FW F4. Obviously for those of you that know the F4, I needed to put into action, one of my many preamps with gain. The Usher P 307A, along with the F4 ( Tim did an outstanding job ), is pleasing me to such a level, my recorded music reproduction is outstanding. My best, MrD.