The future of preamps


I still use one, but I wonder if their days are numbered. To those who have removed the preamp from their system, have there been any regrets? Anyone gone back to using a preamp after having removed it?
psag
Yes, I still have my Dude fully tricked out with Duelund CAST caps and some other goodies. I like to fiddle and mod and have fun with point to point wired tube gear.
I reaaly like the way the LSA allows the music to pass thru it without adding much.

I use it for my CD player,and I also run my Steelhead(volume at full)thru it.

I think the quality of the volume control can alter the sound of the system,and if you don't need any extra gain,why muck things up.

I do like the way some preamps can change the sound of a system and add more depth,or tone to the music,and I miss the things that my old CJ preamp used to do,even if those tricks were perhaps the result of distortions or were phase related.

All of audio is an illusion and we never know how close or far off we are from the reality of the original performance.

So in the end, we choose what distortions we want to live with or discard.

I've lived with many fine preamps from Levinson,Blue Circle, AtmaSphere, Conrad Johnson, Audible Illusions, Spectral,Meitner,RGR,Dynaco.

There will always be a future for preamps because of the colours that they can paint.
And that's not a bad thing.
@ Grannyring, Wow!, You installed Duelund cast caps!, your preamp with all that you listed you done should be alot better sounding than the stock version?
@ Knghifi, Hi, I am interested in Atmas-phere, I have a problem with 32 volts out-put for a 3.58 input sensativity!, You can re-read my 12-26 post to Georgelofi and understand why, other than that, I believe the M-1 is a fine designed product on paper!, It would be nice to match perfectly, cheers, Happy new year.
Audiolab, I'll try this one more time, and then I'll cease and desist. The 32 volt spec is NOT A PROBLEM FOR YOUR AMP OR FOR ANY OTHER AMP IN THE KNOWN UNIVERSE.

Everything else being equal, the higher that number is the better. That number has NOTHING whatsoever to do with where you will set your volume control, and it has NOTHING whatsoever to do with how much voltage the preamp would be putting out in actual use.

How much voltage the preamp puts out depends on three things: The voltage that is sent into it by the source; its gain (which is a moderate 14 db in this case, for non-phono sources); and where the volume control is set. Again, where the volume control is set has NOTHING to do with the 32 volt number. Again, how much voltage the preamp puts out in actual use has NOTHING to do with the 32 volt number.

Please re-read the numerous posts Ralph and I have both made in this thread about specs on preamp output voltage capability.

Peace. Regards,
-- Al