2. amps-preamps
  3. 1060561892

The Truth About Preamps

I'm wondering now that we're in the digital age with so many cd players having variable outs, what does a high quality preamp do for a system? I've heard so many different stories on either you get more detail straight in or that you get more bloom with a preamp. I would think that if you had a musical cd player such as a Cary running straight into a musical and smooth amp such as a Classe or Conrad-johnson you wouldn't need a preamp...all this given you have only cd as your source...I'm just wondering what you guys think and your experience running a cd player straight into an amp. I'm thinking of running a Theta Miles straight into a Classe CA-300
totalmlb
disc
123 posts
 
I have a Spectron MII (digital) amp, a Supratek Syrah (tube) Pre and a Granite 657 (tube) CDP. The CDP has an analog volume control. I have run the system with and without the pre. My experience was that, though the sound was cleaner direct without the pre, overall I preferred the sound with the pre. The pre seemed to do a better job of driving the amp (more bloom, as I think someone put it above).
muralman1
1,527 posts
 
I have four sources. Doing without a preamp is senseless for me.

I still would not buy a high priced cdp so I can bypass a pre amp. My pre amp allows me to adjust gain for each channel, or just go passive. I like the versatility.

My $1600 (used) pre is single ended class A. The cdp will use an off the shelf op amp. That is a serious discrepancy for me.

There are wonderful pre amps both used and new, that can be bought for less than five grand. They all will have more sophisticated volume and gain circuitry than any cdp.
kana813
956 posts
 
I don't think there's anyway to tell if a particular direct
CDP to Amp combo will work in your system until you try it.
The same can be said of passive preamps. Many CDPs have inputs for other sources, both analog and digital.

Like Disc, I'm using a MII and look forward to getting the digital input board for the amp, which will allow the use of just a CD transport or A/D output.

Is anyone using an A/D to run their analog sources into a
multi-input CDP like the Wadias?
ultrakaz
187 posts
 
A preamp should not make your cd player/system sound better. If it does, then something is wrong with output/input compatibility of your cdp and amp. Having said that, a high quality attenuator (like the Placette) is really all you need.

Unless I needed more power, I would rather put the money I would have spent on the preamp into the cdp.
muralman1
1,527 posts
 
It has been my experience the cdp is something you can spend way too much for.

In my case a pre amp is necessary to make my cdp sound better. A cdp just does not have the ability to saturate my amps. The highs and lows just roll off.

Also, no one can tell me that a cheap op amp can out perform a sophisticated pre amp circuit.
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