On the road to audiophile experience

[Svend N]

There is where a discrete transistor output stage on a DAC can make a difference, such as on the Caiman SEG.

Would the equivalent inside a CD player be the op amp output stage? If so, then I agree completely with this. I recently had the op amps in my TEAC VRDS-10 replaced with discrete op amp boards (Dexa units), and, along with other mods (discrete clock board, recapping, etc.) it made a HUGE difference to sound quality. No more thin, anemic sound, no graininess....more dynamics, warmth, tonal range, smoothness. Well worth every penny of the upgrade.

As for passive vs. active preamps, I think a lot depends on the power amp being used and whether it wants to be driven with the stronger signal that an active pre can provide -- synergy, in other words. In my case I used a passive pre for years with my Belles power amp thinking it was great, then swapped in an active pre (Sugden) and was blown away by how much better it sounded. The system really came alive and sounded vastly improved in all respects. Caveat here is that, as Martin suggests, you probably need a really good active preamp. I get the sense that those who recommend passive pre's may not have heard what a high quality active pre can really do. Again, system synergy with the power amp and speakers probably plays a big part in this as well.

This video from Paul McGowan of PS Audio, in which he discusses active vs. passive pre's, pretty much mirrors my own experience:



Interesting topic...