a passive and a phono preamp? I need a preamp but got no clue which one to get.
J. Vigne
Unregistered guest
Posted on
A passive pre amp has no electically operated circuits inside. It has no power cord. It is meant to pass the line level signal of a source such as CD on to an amplifier that is capable of reaching full power with no extra amplification. (Most CD players can output 2 volts, most amplifiers can reach full power with 2 volts input.) It is, in its simplest terms, nothing more than an inline volume control. It is as simple as can be but has downsides. A phono pre amp is meant to take very low level signals from a magnetic or moving coil cartridge and step the signal up in voltage and apply RIAA equalization to the signal so it has enough voltage to be sent to a pre amp. It will have a power cord. Why do you need a pre amp? What are you trying to do?
Dear J. Vigne Firstly, thanks for the response. The thing is that when I was a kid I knew some folks that instilled in me that a stereo made up of separate components (amp, receiver, etc) is better. I remember listening to their stereo and I've yet to hear sweeter sound coming from a pair of speakers. I want to listen to good, sharp, clear music. I bought a HK 4000 AMP and now I need to build my system around this. A pre amp is needed correct? I guess I need to know what type I should get. Thanks again.
J. Vigne
Unregistered guest
Posted on
OK, that helps. It is generally considered that a system of separate components will give better quality sound than a reciever from the same manufacturer. There are several reasons for this and they have been covered in this forum in recent months. It is not always the case that a separates system will be better than a reciever. For instance, I would rather have a $4,000 reciever from McIntosh than a $1,500 (or even a $4,000) separate system from a mass market company. Again lots of factors why but mostly it is the attention to detail and the dedication to a consistent sound that Mac has that the mass market companies just don't get. Whether you need a passive pre amp or an active pre amp depends on the sources you will run. A phono based system will need an active pre amp. Either a line pre amp that accepts only high level signals and will have an outboard phono pre amp plugged into it or a full pre amp with a phono section included. If you only run CD/DVD you will not need an active pre amp in many cases. A pasive pre amp will give the cleanest, simplest signal path. You must be certain that your souces can drive the power amp to full power. Check output voltage vs. input voltage requirement on the power amp. If the power amp requires 2 volts to reach full power and your CD/DVD will only put out 1 1/2 volts the power amp will not reach full power with a passive design. Passive pre amps also limit your ability to run long and highly capacitive cables. Signal loss will roll off the high end and there will be a loss of dynamics. In this system you would want to run an active pre amp. What you should buy is totally up to you and your tastes. You should determine a budget then find what pre amp has the features you want/require. After that you choose on sound. Many people, myself included, prefer a tube pre amp vs. solid state. That is your choice. Explore what is available to you and check the used market for some bargains. If nothing else, a separates based system allows for easier upgrades than a reciever based system.Good luck.