2. amps-preamps
  3. 1074903995

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?
128x128jyprez
pragmatist
336 posts
 
I don't think so. Even when the technology gets to the point that power supplies are quiet enough so they don't require isolation in seperate boxes,I suspect preamps will endure because of the gadget aspect of another neat looking box on the rack and the commissions to the persons who sell them.
natnic
33 posts
 
I have gone this route and in the end a good Preamp is the way to go.

No they will never go away.

And Viynl is comming back huge.
dazzdax
599 posts
 
Why is it that each and everytime I bypass the preamplifier the sound becomes thin and sterile. It is true that there seems less "garbage" in the sound (less noise, less distortion), but there is also loss of bloom and spaciousness, which to me are very important omissions.
blptwp
40 posts
 
Further to my comments regarding volume control and transformer volume control (TVC). I like to add that I have the same TVC as in the Bent Audio passive box, but as built-in in my tubed phono stage, custom made by Kevin Carter of K&K Audio. I don't have a linestage. In my phono stage, I have a set of output for vinyl and another set for CD. The output for CDP goes directly to the TVC, so it's like a passive linestage without gain. Eventhough I don't listen to CD, I have this CD output just in case I get a CDP later. I have tried a CDP in this set up, it has more than enough gain. Most CDP have output of 2 volts. For my phono stage, it has 65dB gain, my cartridge is the Koetsu Rosewood Signiture with 0.6 dB and I have more than enough gain. Let me tell you, the dynamics is unbelievable with TVC. Standard volume control is resistor based, which suppresses high frequencies, bass and dynamics, TVC dosen't do that at all. I have numerous phono stages in the last 20 years and this is the best of them all.
sasaudioff54
3 posts
 
I don't think so. The reason are several fold, of which two are:

1) Separating the first stage from the following stages relieves the problem of frequency dependent feedback through the power supply. This lessens sonic interactions between stages, resulting in better, more lively, sound quality.

2) Hum and noise are reduced without compromising the integrity of the design.

Steve
SAS Audio Labs
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