2. amps-preamps
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To Pre or not to Pre? Here is my take

I remember reading in many places that the best preamp was no preamp.
Finally in a position to test that theory
Equipment is Esoteric sa-50 player, audio research ls preamp, bat vk600 power amp.
So I let everything warm up for an hour or so and then played some Halestorm through the system, for anybody who is not familiar with Mz. Hale, she is similar to a smoother Bonnie Tyler with more range! Her band has some great bass guitar and drum work as well so a nice little workout.
After 5 or 6 tracks I changed over to powering the bat direct from the esoteric using the same cardas xlr interconnects.
It only took a couple of tracks to confirm
I just did not like this sound, bass was much thinner, soundstage not as wide, vocals not as smokey for want of a better description of Mz. Hales style.
Hooked the ls2 back and joy was restored!

What does this tell me?
That absolutely the ls preamp is adding its own sonic signature to the mix, in theory that equates to probably a more "dirty" sound but to me this was the sound I preferred.
Now obviously no 2 people listening to the same gear are going to hear the same thing, its impossible!
However playing MY music on MY gear the sound going through the ls2 preamp was the sound that I wanted to hear, end of story.
Oh trust me its not just value perception, I sort of WANTED the sound to be better without the ls2 preamp as I could have then sold it and spent the money elsewhere! 
I know there will be lots of people who can spout theories to prove I am full of it but the only judge of the sound of your own system worth worrying about is yourself!
uberwaltz
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
George, Active preamps can also be fixing poor recordings

I don’t think so, the "perfect" active preamp is said to sound like a straight piece of wire, it should not add or take away from what the source is giving, but that perfect preamp is yet to be made.

Cheers George
tomcy6's avatar
tomcy6
2,638 posts
 
George, the perfect recording has not been made yet and probably won’t be made in our lifetimes, so the right preamp can help ameliorate the deficiencies in the recordings we do have. If no preamp works for you, great, but active preamps may work better for some others. In fact, I’m sure they can.
tomcy6's avatar
tomcy6
2,638 posts
 
Uberwaltz,  If it sounds good to you that's what counts.  It's all about enjoying the music.
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
George, the perfect recording has not been made yet and probably won’t be made in our lifetimes
I like to hear my best recordings as they come from the dac, and if the bad ones don't sound so good, so be it, at least I'm not colouring both.


If no preamp works for you, great, but active preamps may work better for some others. In fact, I’m sure they can.
 Like I said before, some may like a certain colouration a preamp gives to their system. And that they all sound different. It's up to the owner/buyer of a preamp to get the one with the right colouration to address their problem.
I myself like to address the problem directly and fix it, without the need to hunt for the right preamp to colour the problem.
 
None sound like a straight piece of wire, otherwise all would sound the same as going direct.

Cheers George

 
phd
1,332 posts
 
Of course an active preamp will alter the sound one way or another and if you prefer the sound your preamp produces then go with it. The lead Tech at PS Audio used to advocate the use of passive preamps for years and just recently reversed his conclusion in favor of active preamps. But keep in mind that some quality amps have a higher input gain that makes them an ideal companion for a passive preamp or a direct connection, delivering excellent dynamics, mids, and highs
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