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cdp digital volume control or preamp?

Hello Gon'ers!
I am currently running my Music Hall Maverick SACD player, which has a remote volume control (digital) directly into a Sonic Frontiers Power 2 amp. It sounds very good, but I wondered if I would get better sound going through a good pre-amp. What do you all think? Some suggestions for pre-amps that match well with my existing gear would be welcome, too.

Cheers.
tfkaudio
robm321
932 posts
 
It really depends. I usually get better spacial imaging using a pre-amp, but I get better detail and a more intimate sound going through my CD player with tubed gain.

I guess it depends on the quality of the pre-amp.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Jazzdude..."Volume control in the digital domain always results in the loss of resolution, -1-bit/6db below unity gain." NOT SO! They do not work by dropping (shifting to be exact) bits.

If you had ever actually used a digital volume control you would know that it does not attenuate in 6 dB steps. My PrePro volume control happens to have one dB resolution.
boa2's avatar
boa2
1,551 posts
 
Eldartford,
When we purchased our CD player, I asked the manufacturer/modder about information loss as a result of the digital volume control his player uses. If I heard him correctly, I believe that he said that any loss of information would not be audible. Does this reconcile with what you are saying?
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Boa2..Although I don't know exactly how your volume control is designed, the manufacturers statement is entirely believable. Of course "audible" can mean anything in the audiophile arena. People who can hear the difference between different jumpers on their biwirable speakers will probably "hear" degradation from your volume control.
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