Look, Ma, no Preamp!

[trollgirl]

Is anyone else here running without a preamp? My last pre was a Kenwood KC-105 which I picked up at the local DAV - a good deal. It looked like an Unsoundesign product, but sounded good. I gave it away at a local audio meet as one of the door prizes. At the same meet, I acquired a small tubed power amp which had the input jacks on top. I am running a tuner, a Kenwood KT-8300, and a DAC, a Sony ES unit, both with variable outputs. I merely swap the easily accessible RCA connections and enjoy the music. I think I can add the phono setup to the mix also. Does less circuitry not mean better sound?

Laz

[bobsticks]

Does less circuitry not mean better sound?

Well, it means a "purer" signal. Whether that means "better" is definitely up to the listener. A clean signal path will certainly give you the purest reproduction of th eoutput of the source, for better or worse.

[JohnMichael]

I have been interested in several integrated amps that are a volume pot and a power amp. Creek, Potal Panache and the inexpensive Dussun DS99 are three of interest. The Dussun DS99 is a vailable for $600 and is made and designed in China. It uses an Alps volume pot between inputs and power amp. I have wondered about the sonic improvements of direct in to a power amp in my system.

[Ajani]

Well, it means a "purer" signal. Whether that means "better" is definitely up to the listener. A clean signal path will certainly give you the purest reproduction of th eoutput of the source, for better or worse.

I agree... I've been researching active vs passive preamp and no preamp for a while... but the reviews and the theory is pretty mixed. Basically, nothing guarantees a better sound (simply because better sound is so subjective)...

As Sticks said cleaner signal path = purest reproduction of source, but that does not necessarily = better sound...

You really just have to try out a few options yourself.

[trollgirl]

I have been interested in several integrated amps that are a volume pot and a power amp. Creek, Potal Panache and the inexpensive Dussun DS99 are three of interest. The Dussun DS99 is a vailable for $600 and is made and designed in China. It uses an Alps volume pot between inputs and power amp. I have wondered about the sonic improvements of direct in to a power amp in my system.

Don't overlook the cheap and good-sounding Yamaha M-series. At least some of them are power amps w/ pots.

Laz

[JohnMichael]

Don't overlook the cheap and good-sounding Yamaha M-series. At least some of them are power amps w/ pots.

Laz



I do need to be able to switch between sources. I am very pleased with the Onkyo A-9555 a Class D integrated amp. Whatever I decide to try next will have to be of higher quality than the A-9555 and I am afraid that will take some cash.

[E-Stat]

Is anyone else here running without a preamp?
Emphatically so. In the *big* upstairs system, I use an Audio Research preamp ONLY for vinyl for where the gain is needed. I run my CDP directly to the VTL monoblocks via DACT stepped attenuators. The loss of resolution and stage width using the superfluous line stage is immediately apparent. In the vintage system, I run a Manley Sigma Delta DAC directly to a Threshold Stasis. Same story.


I am running a tuner, a Kenwood KT-8300, and a DAC, a Sony ES unit, both with variable outputs. I merely swap the easily accessible RCA connections and enjoy the music. I think I can add the phono setup to the mix also.
While less convenient to switch sources, I find the quick change no big deal.


Does less circuitry not mean better sound?
It certainly does in two of my systems! In my experience, active gain stages cannot *improve* the signal so long as gain and impedance are matched.

rw

[trollgirl]

Thank you, E-Stat, that was encouraging.

Laz

[Gab]

maybe using less resistances in signal path and less capacitors helps to keep the original sound unchanged , but a poor amplification or poor buffer will not amplify the signal correctly.