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Analogue only preamp ideas? - no need for internal DAC!

So making progress in my quest for perfection.

have a great dac, Chord Tt2
great amp Mcintosh great speakers, B&W 804 D3And a Roon Nucleus.

but I have a subpar avr,

An analogue only preamp seems ideal and so many have a standalone dac, so analogue preamp seems a good idea.

Mcintosh has some units that seem quite nice, eg C70 tube.  Seems tube is a great way to go but tubeless has pros too.

Need some ideas. Thanks




emergingsoul
hilde45's avatar
hilde45
4,986 posts
 
@emergingsoul -- agree. I think it offers some information but it's not a textbook entry on the subject. I think you're right to see that there's a fair amount of "Paul personality" mixed in with information. I learned some from these, too: 
https://www.psaudio.com/askpaul/do-preamps-enhance-sound-quality/
https://www.psaudio.com/askpaul/do-we-need-preamplifiers/
https://www.psaudio.com/askpaul/understanding-differential-preamps/
https://www.psaudio.com/askpaul/why-are-preamps-expensive/
https://www.psaudio.com/askpaul/why-arent-passive-preamps-more-popular/
antigrunge2
1,426 posts
 
You got a great DAC and power amp. All you need is a good passive attenuator: top of the range is Wavac ATT-S but you‘ll equally get great results from -say a Modsquad in the second hand market
emergingsoul OP
1,182 posts
 
Interesting. How does the passive atten. functionally work?  
Do I now use this to adjust volume? I now use a remote when using a preamp in bypass mode, this would now change?
Thanks
antigrunge2
1,426 posts
 
Most attenators don‘t have remote control. If that is a requirement you can get a DACPre combo a la Mytec or Antelope Zodiac or you‘ll have to get a buffer attenator a la Pass
koestner
671 posts
 
Remote controlled passive preamps and passive with active buffers are found at the Tortuga web site.
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