Phono preamp to amp question

If your phono stage doesn't have a volume control and you go directly from that into an amp then the amp will be playing at max output because you don't have anything attenuating the signal coming from your phono.

If you are talking about going from your minimax into an integrated input and then line level out to an amp (hooked to speakers) then you are effectively using the integrated as the pre-amp while not using the integrated amp's drive unit. This can be done but I would not take out the drive tubes unless I confirmed with the manufacturer that it would do no harm. What you need is a pre-amp.

Get a passive preamp to control the volume on the phono preamp. There are plenty inexpensive ones that will do that for you. Check out Richard Lee audio,I use one to control the volume on my tuner.

I forgot to mention,make sure your phono preamp puts out a few volts so it can drive your amp.

There are Eastern Electric phono stages that have a volume control, it appears. You need to clarify if yours does, and if that will be used to control the volume.

There are integrated amps that have (preamp/amp) jumpers that you can remove to separate the power and and preamp sections.

If you obtain one that has this jumper (preamp/amp) removal
feature, the tubes in any part of that integrated will still run. If you remove those preamp tubes, it can throw all the voltages on the other parts off. That includes all the other tubes, and parts. This can cause damage if you try removing these tubes out of the circuit. It depends on the design some, but is way too risky to do away with them.

So yes, those extra tubes need to stay in there and do run. Filaments stay on, and other voltages will be in these unused tubes. They will sit there, and not bother anything else. This can not be done away with, unless you are a skilled amp designer.

A solid state amp will still have its transistors running in them, even if not used, the same as tube amps.

With this said, people that run amps that have tubes in them that they don't need, put a low priced tube in their place. That way you won't wear out expensive tubes in the amp, you won't be using, but do stay running.

If you choose an integrated that does have the feature, make sure the volume is controlled somewhere. And again, you do need to leave all the other tubes in it. They will run, and sort of be idling, but still running while in the with the rest of the tubes in the amp.

"There must be a few tube integrateds that will let you bypass the preamp and go directly to the power amp, but I know only one". Now My cheap nad 352 let me do this without using its built in preamp. However if I wanted to do this with tubes it would require tubes in the integrateds driver tube section burning for no reason correct???
Davidnboone

The transistors and other parts were still running the full time, just as a tube amp does. There just may be no sound signal going through them. In a lot of these amps by design, other parts share the same power supply. And, making any changes like (removing tubes) that can throw the whole amp out of spec. This may or may not cause problems at first, but may cause the other parts to have too much voltage going to them. The result, costly repairs possibly if you try to remove any unused tubes. Again, too risky.