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Thread: Recommend me a preamp please?

  1. #41
    Join Date: Mar 2016

    Location: Barnet, london UK

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    I'm Adam.

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    the OP wanted some recommendations for a Pre.... poor Chaps head must be spinning!
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  2. #42
    Join Date: Oct 2012

    Location: NE England

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    I'm Jez.

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    Quote Originally Posted by WESTLOWER View Post
    the OP wanted some recommendations for a Pre.... poor Chaps head must be spinning!
    Ok I recommend the exact thing he says he doesn't want which is a passive attenuator.... I'm using one with a Radford STA25 of a customers at the moment and it sounds amazing. Alternatively I can build a wide range of active line stages to order, there is more info on a specific valve hybrid pre in my trade area which is both active AND passive (it has separate active and passive outputs).
    Arkless Electronics-Engineered to be better. Tel. 01670 530674 (after 1pm)

    Modded Thorens TD150, Audio Technica AT-1005 MkII, Technics EPC-300MC, Arkless Hybrid MC phono stage, Arkless passive pre, Arkless 50WPC Class A SS power amp, (or) Arkless modded Leak Stereo 20, Modded Kef Reference 105/3's
    ReVox PR99, Studer B62, Ferrograph Series 7, Tandberg TCD440, Hitachi FT-5500MkI, also FT-5500MkII
    Digital: Yamaha CDR-HD1500 (Digital Swiss army knife-CD recorder, player, hard drive, DAC and ADC in one), PC files via 24/96 sound card and SPDIF, modded Philips CD850, modded Philips CD104, modded DPA Little Bit DAC. Sennheiser HD580 cans with Arkless Headphone amp.
    Cables- free interconnects that come with CD players, mains leads from B&Q, dead kettles etc, extension leads from Tesco

  3. #43
    Join Date: Sep 2009

    Location: west mids, UK

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    I'm Phil.

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    Quote Originally Posted by WESTLOWER View Post
    the OP wanted some recommendations for a Pre.... poor Chaps head must be spinning!
    yes there is a lot of choice !!! but its so nice to see some very good vfm pre amps coming along like the satchmo and the schiit saga pre
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  4. #44
    Join Date: Mar 2017

    Location: Seaford UK

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    I'm Dennis.

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    I cannot see how a resistor network (passive) can possibly change dynamics if the FR is flat.

    It is conceivable though that an active produces artefacts which may add to the signal, increasing peaks, and hence appear to be giving a greater signal range, that is, dynamic range.

  5. #45
    Join Date: Oct 2012

    Location: NE England

    Posts: 4,173
    I'm Jez.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pharos View Post
    I cannot see how a resistor network (passive) can possibly change dynamics if the FR is flat.

    It is conceivable though that an active produces artefacts which may add to the signal, increasing peaks, and hence appear to be giving a greater signal range, that is, dynamic range.
    As I said earlier it is not possible for an amplifier to change dynamics unless it is distorting. A passive can not change them at all as it never distorts. Only compression can occur and the this would have very obvious distortion with it. An amp running out of power and clipping is the most obvious example. If a 10W amp needs to produce 15W to reproduce the peaks well it can't do it so anything beyond 10W will be huge amounts of really nasty distortion rather than increased volume.
    Arkless Electronics-Engineered to be better. Tel. 01670 530674 (after 1pm)

    Modded Thorens TD150, Audio Technica AT-1005 MkII, Technics EPC-300MC, Arkless Hybrid MC phono stage, Arkless passive pre, Arkless 50WPC Class A SS power amp, (or) Arkless modded Leak Stereo 20, Modded Kef Reference 105/3's
    ReVox PR99, Studer B62, Ferrograph Series 7, Tandberg TCD440, Hitachi FT-5500MkI, also FT-5500MkII
    Digital: Yamaha CDR-HD1500 (Digital Swiss army knife-CD recorder, player, hard drive, DAC and ADC in one), PC files via 24/96 sound card and SPDIF, modded Philips CD850, modded Philips CD104, modded DPA Little Bit DAC. Sennheiser HD580 cans with Arkless Headphone amp.
    Cables- free interconnects that come with CD players, mains leads from B&Q, dead kettles etc, extension leads from Tesco

  6. #46
    Join Date: May 2016

    Location: Gloucestershire

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    I'm Ian.

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    Can't argue with the fact that on the face of it a passive pre can't add distortion but aren't there other factors involved? For one, not all passives are equal and it seems that what's connected to the volume knob does make a difference, at least in price! i.e. all attenuators are not the same.
    Second point is impedance matching. Over the years I've used three different passives, one home made and two commercial ones. The best result (to my ears) was when I got hold of a Nelson Pass B1 buffer which I believe (I'm definitely not an electronics expert) improves impedance matching between pre out and power in. This surely makes a difference?

  7. #47
    Join Date: Oct 2012

    Location: NE England

    Posts: 4,173
    I'm Jez.

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    Once again like I said earlier... there is no such thing as impedance matching in hi fi and 90% + of the time it's actually resistive rather than impedance, at least at audio frequencies.
    Arkless Electronics-Engineered to be better. Tel. 01670 530674 (after 1pm)

    Modded Thorens TD150, Audio Technica AT-1005 MkII, Technics EPC-300MC, Arkless Hybrid MC phono stage, Arkless passive pre, Arkless 50WPC Class A SS power amp, (or) Arkless modded Leak Stereo 20, Modded Kef Reference 105/3's
    ReVox PR99, Studer B62, Ferrograph Series 7, Tandberg TCD440, Hitachi FT-5500MkI, also FT-5500MkII
    Digital: Yamaha CDR-HD1500 (Digital Swiss army knife-CD recorder, player, hard drive, DAC and ADC in one), PC files via 24/96 sound card and SPDIF, modded Philips CD850, modded Philips CD104, modded DPA Little Bit DAC. Sennheiser HD580 cans with Arkless Headphone amp.
    Cables- free interconnects that come with CD players, mains leads from B&Q, dead kettles etc, extension leads from Tesco

  8. #48
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,771
    I'm Martin.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ianlenco View Post
    Can't argue with the fact that on the face of it a passive pre can't add distortion but aren't there other factors involved? For one, not all passives are equal and it seems that what's connected to the volume knob does make a difference, at least in price! i.e. all attenuators are not the same.
    Second point is impedance matching. Over the years I've used three different passives, one home made and two commercial ones. The best result (to my ears) was when I got hold of a Nelson Pass B1 buffer which I believe (I'm definitely not an electronics expert) improves impedance matching between pre out and power in. This surely makes a difference?
    in practical terms the one and only thing I have found to make any difference was the input sensitivity of the power amp. Jez or Mr Rothwell can give you chapter and verse on impedance matching.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  9. #49
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,771
    I'm Martin.

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    Ah I see Jez already did.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  10. #50
    Join Date: Sep 2013

    Location: North Island New Zealand

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    I'm Chris.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Arkless Electronics View Post
    Once again like I said earlier... there is no such thing as impedance matching in hi fi and 90% + of the time it's actually resistive rather than impedance, at least at audio frequencies.
    Way too many misleading ( again ) generalizations:
    A digital SPDIF or AES/EBU output input, is an example of an impedance matching network used in hifi.
    Twisted pair interconnects match to usually 110 ohms and coax to 50-75 ohm , also used in hifi
    A turntable cartridge has defined impedance matching to an RIAA network also used in hifi
    A speaker has a defined impedance -often not matching to an amplifier but occasionally gets close -
    ie Quad 303 and ESL57 also used in hifi, need I go on ?

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