2. amps-preamps
  3. 1346098814

Preamps waste of money?

I've been forced to reevaluate the role of preamps. The best sound I have achieved is result of adding a stepped resistor volume control at the input stage inside of my tube amp. All other options I have tried or auditioned including both active and passive volume control(autoformer and LDRs)have "colored" the sound in one way or the other to an unacceptable degree compared the stepped attenuator at the input. Has anyone had similar experience?
dracule1
kijanki's avatar
kijanki
4,428 posts
 
Dracule1, Hyperions are really sad story. Company had absolutely great innovative product with many awards to practically fold the business down. They had poor dealership base, poor customer support, no marketing etc. I was lucky to still get it. With neutral sounding class D amp (Rowland 102) it is a little on the warm side but it sounds great even on lean/bright records. I need a little more highs (air) but it might be room acoustics (reverberation) or class D limitation. Midrange is to die for while bass is tuneful with very realistic attack and decay.
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Kijanki,
Agree, I don`t want an amp to add anything.I just want it to sound natural and realistic as possible.
Regards,
dracule1 OP
1,085 posts
 
Yes Kijanki, the Hyperions have one of the best midrange of any speaker I've heard, including electrostats and ribbon speakers. Their spiderless drivers are unique. They haven't folded yet. I might end up getting a pair of the 968s.
dracule1 OP
1,085 posts
 
But getting back to the subject of this thread, I'm not sure one can ever determine if his preamp is "neutral" unless he was at the recording session and all his other components in the chain are neutral. Essentially an impossibility for most of us. All we have is our subjective opinion as to what we think is neutral. In that respect, my current amp with stepped attenuator is as neutral as I have heard.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,844 posts
 
I'm not sure one can ever determine if his preamp is "neutral" unless he was at the recording session and all his other components in the chain are neutral.
Bingo! I made a recording in 1986 that went to LP. It has proven invaluable to me over the years (I have the master tape) to understanding what is neutral and what is not.
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