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Modern Linestages

This is a general question about how complex and expensive some linestages have become. I'm looking to understand why? I can grasp that really good volume controls are complicated and that equally good switches are not inexpensive. I also have a general understanding of the importance of a high quality power supply, which again is not going to come cheap. I just don't comprehend how you get to a 50lbs. plus preamps that cost well over $20k. Is this level of complexity really needed or is it the equivalent of the spate of 500hp "sedans" for every day driving?
128x128onhwy61
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
Active preamps are to me a dinosaur left over from the analogue days, when one needed an riaa stage in the preamp and then another gain stage to get the voltage up to the input sensitivity of the poweramps they were to drive.
Today's sources cd, tuners, ipods, phono stages. etc: have enough output to drive the poweramps directly even into overdrive.
So all that's needed is an attenuator between them to attenuate the level, there is no need for active preamps with gain stages as there is no gain needed between today's sources and poweramps.

Cheers George
sksos1
387 posts
 
George, I Agee that todyas sources do not "need" active gain stages BUT many do sound better than passives. I've been a BIG fan of passives over the last couple of years and have used them to great effect (but never tried yours sorry to say) but until I listened to the Steve McCormick VRE-1B I didn't know what I was missing. No passive has ever given me the 3-D effect I hear from this line stage (it has only 6db of gain). I'm not saying it's accurate because who really knows what accurate is? It just let's me enjoy music like no other active or passive has ever done. Yes my Kondo M1000 pre (over $100,000) was very special but the VRE puts a smile on my face every night I listen, and that's what its all about at the end of the day.
Steve
"dealer disclaimer"
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
In theory a passive linestage "should" be all that`s needed with the higher output sources use these days. The reality is however in "most" systems a good active linestage simply sounds more complete and life-like, there`s more "there".
inna
7,296 posts
 
I have zero knowledge too but my guess is that power supply is always very important, be it phono stage, line level preamp or power amp. And this is probably not cheap or easy to really get it right.
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
The secrete to having the perfect passive attenuator without losing or adding anything to the sound of the source (being true to the source)
1: Is to make sure the sources ouput impedance is 5 x or less the attenuators input impedance.
2: To make sure the power amps input impedance is 5 x or more the attenuators output impedance.
This then will give you the sound that you would get if you pluged the source directly into the power amp, yet with control over the volume.
Cheers George
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