Kind of a dumb question...


If you own two pairs of ICs that are not of the same quality, is there a rule of thumb as to which one should be used between the source (CD player) and preamp versus between the preamp and amp? I know someone out there is going to tell me to experiment and come to my own conclusion, and I'll do that. But I'm curious to know if there's a general rule of thumb.
rockyboy
The rule of thumb is that there is no rule of thumb. You have to experiment and see which way you like it best, not me or anyone else!!!!
With passive preamp there is a general rule that lower capacity (often shorter and better) cable between preamp and amp works better.
With active You can experiment and find out which combination You like most.
But don`t expect a "HUGE" difference from a cable. A decent cable is all You need.
Mr. Tennis is dead on, much to consider and if you ever do a cable shootout make detailed notes
My thought is to use the better cable between pre and amp because then all sources will benefit from the better cable. my 2 cents