Most volume controls in amps and CDP are of low quality volume control which really restrict dynamics and sound quality. If you are thinking going direct from source to amp, you need a very high quality volume control. I listen to vinyl only and I have a phono stage with a pair of transformer volume control (TVC) which is arguably the best kind of volume control. Some audiophiles use TVC in a passive box for their CDP. Most CDPs have digital volume control, which is the worst thing you can have. In any preamp, whether it's active or passive, volume control is extremely critcal, it could act as the bottle-neck for the whole system. TVC is expensive, but is really worth the money considering it control the sound level of your system, which could be many times the money of your volume control.
Won't preamps become obsolete?
I'm in the market for a new preamp because I want to upgrade from my Conrad Johnson PV10A. I listen mostly to vinyl but some CD and hopefully SACD some day so I need a preamp to integrate sources. As I look at the used preamp ads on A'gon, however, I notice more and more people saying that they are selling their preamp because they are going directly from a cd player with volume control into an amp. As vinyl wanes (never with me!) will the preamp follow suit or become more oriented towards integrating home theatre digital video and audio sources?
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- 32 posts total
- 32 posts total