Anyone using 2 preamps in their rig?

@oldrooney I think there are not many preamps that DO NOT color the sound to a large degree. It seems to my ears that the more expensive the preamp the more the color. Obviously, people like this and the gear could be sold for more money. That is not how I hear it so my wallet is happy.

These are the only preamps I owned that did not color the sound too much.

Benchmark HPA4, LA4, and Topping pre90. The Topping pre90 is a PIA to use and pair with amps. The Benchmark preamps are my fav's.

I use 3 stereo amplifiers, 6 floor standers and 3 subs. One preamp controls  2 Mac MC252 amps and the second controls an Anthem STR and 3 SVS subs.. Being able to control the subs separately really works great in my situation.

An Amp should have 2 sets of inputs.  This would make you happy and also provide an HT bypass for those who need it.

@yyzsantabarbara I would have loved to see the full rig!  Did you use type of splitter-box?

(Per chance, a Rush fan?)

Doug

@blackbag20 I did not use any splitter-box because the 2 DACs I used, the Musetec 005 and the Benchmark DAC3B both allowed RCA and XLR output at the same time. So one RCA went to 1 preamp and the XLR output went to the other preamp. I did the same with my Magnum Dynalab 108T tuner. I also had identical streamer paths using 2 sets of FMC and Sonore OpticalRendu,

I am a fan of the low cost Benchmark XLR interconnect between my 2 preamps and the amp at the speaker end. So I used 2 sets of 15-foot XLRs with 1 set connect at the amp end. When I wanted to switch preamps I just changed the amp end interconnect to the other preamp’s.

The CODA 07x preamp I used as 1 of the 2 preamps did not have an ON/OFF button so that was a little bit tricky. You need to be careful when the gear was turned on and off so as not to mess up the speakers. I never did.

I should add that not all gear allow RCA and XLR to be connected at the same time, such as the Audio Mirror Tubadour SE III DAC (now sold).

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I am from Toronto (YYZ, similar to LAX = Los Angeles) . I now live in Santa Barbara. I am huge Rush fan. I actually listen to more Rush these days since I have nice gear and the music is instantly available. The song YYZ is supposed to represent taking a flight out of Toronto’s YYZ airport.