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Who is using passive preamps and why?

Seldom has there been any discussions on passive preamps in the forums and although my experience with them has been limited I have found them so far to be very enjoyable and refreshingly different. They seem to fall into their own category, somewhere between solid state and tube. Finding a preamp that is satisfing has been difficult. Some active solid state preamps can be very good but they seem to inject grain to some degree in the upper registers and some tube preamps are not too far behind. So far I think they should at least be matched up with an amp that has sufficient gain which is often overlooked. Which passives are you using and with what amp? Why do you like them?
phd
herman
2,273 posts
 
Pubul, I see your point, they do have limitations, or perhaps better put they require careful implementation, but that could be argued for just about anything. After years of experimenting I've found that a couple of stages of triode amplification and very high efficiency speakers is what floats my boat. I would venture to say that if more people heard one properly implemented they would agree. This type of system is a perfect candidate for a passive pre.

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pubul57
3,712 posts
 
I agree completely, which is why discussions and assessments of of amps, speakers,cables, tubes etc. outside of complete system context (let alone personal taste)while useful as a guide, are no substitute for listening to something in your room with your other equipment - which is why I always say "with my amp and my speakers, this preamp....."
phd OP
1,324 posts
 
Cerrot, you just nailed it, well said!
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Cerrot, attenuators must all be resistor based, right? Any experience with them versus TVC/AVCs?
milpai's avatar
milpai
2,421 posts
 
Passives (I am referring to TVCs) are amazing if you have the correct system matching. I am always surprised to hear wimpy and anemic associated with Passive preamps. Either I have a very good system match or people have not heard Passives with R-Core transformers.
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