Amp/Preamp questions from a newbie

[oldskoolboarder]

So my Pioneer 45TX has support for external amplifiers.

1) The purpose is to provide more power to the speakers, right?
2) Does that mean that my receiver's amp stage and the external amp stage are combined?
3) What's the purpose of having an amp and a preamp?

[E-Stat]

So my Pioneer 45TX has support for external amplifiers.

1) The purpose is to provide more power to the speakers, right?
2) Does that mean that my receiver's amp stage and the external amp stage are combined?
3) What's the purpose of having an amp and a preamp?

Answers:

1) Potentially cleaner and/or more power
2) Yes. A receiver, for example, is really three components in one box: tuner, preamp, power amp.
3) Pre and power amps are the building blocks of audio systems. Preamps amplify the relatively small output from phono cartridges and line level stages such as CDPs, tuners, etc. Power amplifiers are the "engines" that provide the voltage and/or current amplification. The very best units are separare.

rw

[Resident Loser]

...the response may be a bit misleading or at very least ambiguous...while absolutely correct re: the def of a receiver, I'm not sure it's the answer to the poster's question...

"...2) Does that mean that my receiver's amp stage and the external amp stage are combined?..."

My response would be: It means the pre-amp section of the receiver and the external amplifiers are linked, however the amplifier internal to the receiver is bypassed...a power amp can't feed into a second power amp due to input/output voltages involved...

Unfortunately, Pioneer does not allow downloading manuals without registering and I need more junk, NOT...does the unit actually have "pre-out" jacks or are there simply facilities for a second "zone"? There is a big difference...consult your manual for specifics...

jimHJJ(...FWIW...)

[oldskoolboarder]

...the response may be a bit misleading or at very least ambiguous...while absolutely correct re: the def of a receiver, I'm not sure it's the answer to the poster's question...

"...2) Does that mean that my receiver's amp stage and the external amp stage are combined?..."

My response would be: It means the pre-amp section of the receiver and the external amplifiers are linked, however the amplifier internal to the receiver is bypassed...a power amp can't feed into a second power amp due to input/output voltages involved...

Unfortunately, Pioneer does not allow downloading manuals without registering and I need more junk, NOT...does the unit actually have "pre-out" jacks or are there simply facilities for a second "zone"? There is a big difference...consult your manual for specifics...

jimHJJ(...FWIW...)


Yeah, the amp outputs are listed as pre out.

[psonic]

Then you can connect a power amp for each of the channels that have a "pre-out" jack. You will run interconnects to the L & R inputs on the amp and move the speaker wires from the reciever to the amp. The idea is to get more power and control for stereo listening. Receivers usually do a lot of things, but aren't particularly great at stereo. Reason? Music, IMO, exposes system problems much more than HT does. And receivers usually have weak amp sections. This is the reason most receivers are not rated for 4ohm. You will probably be happy with a good amp, give it a try...

[old_s13]

Receivers are great for apartments, if you ask me. While the more expensive receivers of today can be pretty good quality, I've decided to step back to the old days and go with older seperates -- I think simplicity rules in terms of performance and reliability.

I had a Dolby Digital receiver for almost 8 years, and while it seemed good for a while.. it really isnt satisfying like a great seperates system is. I used to run seperates about 14 years ago, once dolby digital got introduced i decided to foolishly switch-up.. and for movies its fine, its really great.. but if you're into music you'll want a great 2/3-channel setup.

more expensive receivers can be high quality, but there is a lot of componentry jammed in there.. i cant imagine anything that complex lasting over 10-15 years like seperates will.

downside to seperates is that they require room and proper placement, depending on what you go with. anyway, add an amp to your receiver and see how you like the difference. i did this about 8 months ago, and that "test" pushed me back over the edge.. the receiver got ditched and i went back to monoblock amplifiers and pre-amp.... very satisfying.