Any thoughts on removing a preamp from your system

From what a member has sent me O_holter, I don't think the 34A has an active preamp in it.
Both the Ming Da MC34A and MC34B are very similar and are poweramps with a 100kohm passive volume control and input switching on the input.
The B costs $100 more as it has triode switchability and uses 6L6 instead of EL34. See the circuit diagram with just the 100kohm passive pot on the input tube to the poweramp input tube.

http://www.pastisch.se/EF/Ming%20Da%20MC34B%20schematic%20mod%201.gif

Cheers George

I used to have creek 4340 integrated amp that had passive line stage. Once I've acquired Bryston .5b pre and connected into the chain instead of passive, I immediately noticed what was missing!

Guys, It seems most of you favor a nice preamp in the path.

Well I made what I believe is a new discovery over the weekend, which maybe you can help me with.

Here's my situation.

I am running two turntables and their respective phono amps thru my VTL 5.5 preamp.

One is on the RCA input marked Phono, the other on an AUX input. I direct connected (i.e., by_passed the preamp) the one on the the AUX input and immediately liked the sound. I am still loving it. The direct to power amp connection just sounds more transparent and immediate to me.

1. Could I be imagining this increased transparency?

2. Could it be the AUX input is not suited for a phono amp connection and only the phono RCA connection is appropriate for phono? (The table running through this connection sounds great, albeit a mono cartridge setup.)

3. Or should I re-tube my preamp?

Herb

Hcalland, if your phono stage has enough gain by itself by comming out of aux and bypassing the preamps tube line output stage, then yes you are getting rid of an unnecessary tube gain stage and the result will be more transparency.

Todays sources (phono,cdp,dacs) all have enough gain by themselves to drive most amps to full output, why add another preamp gain stage, only to knock the gain of the source back down with the volume control and creating more noise.

Just read what Nelson Pass has to say about it here.
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1400932591&openflup&6&4#6

Cheers George

Herb, several times during my passive experimentation days, I too heard greater transparency when using a passive unit or going direct to amp. I am familiar with this feeling. The key is will this feeling last? I've found that after a period of time listening to this newly found transparency, when switching back to an active preamp, I rediscover the weight, body and soul of the music which had been lost during the switch, and was not initially realized during my enthusiasm for the gained transparency.

Overall, not just with preamps, I've learned that musicality is more important to me than transparency. If tonal accuracy is not true, I do not care how clean the signal is. This is the same reason I've given up on Nordost cables. Their transparency and revealing qualities can be very enticing in the beginning, but I've found, over time, that they cause me to listen less often and for shorter periods of time as listening fatigue sets in sooner and sooner. I still say that Nordost cables are great for demos, they will impress your friends, but I just don't care to live with them over the long haul.

Obviously, others will have different goals, but my days of chasing after the ultimate in resolution are over. I'm more about listening to what sounds musical or natural to me these days. My system is not as resolving as it was years ago, but it's much more enjoyable to listen to. I wouldn't say that you are imagining the increased transparency, I would just say be cautious, as this new sound may turn on you down the road.

Cheers,
John