Pre Amplification

[wee tee cee]

I have the option of switching my my amp to power amp mode...unity gain...and using an external pre amp.I have always lusted after a pre/power set up but finances have never allowed.Croft basic pre amp with my naim 5 nait as power amp.Does the pre section make a big difference.

[Yiangos]

Tony,unity gain is to connect an av amp.You can't do what you're thinking to do :)
In plain English,unity gain bypasses your amp's volume control so an AV amp can take control of the front speakers (in a surround sound system).If you connect a power amp to your existing integrated,you won't have any control over the volume (i.e. the sound will come out ib full blast) and 99% you'll do some damage to your loudspeakers.

[Ali Tait]

You can connect a pre to your amp, though you would then have two volume pots in the signal path which some say is not ideal. Just use one of the line inputs to connect the pre to the amp, set the amp vol pot to about three quarters or so, and then use the pot on the pre to set volume. I am doing this myself at the moment, with two Bantam Golds, each with a pot, both of which are fed from my WAD Pre 2. Works just fine.

[MartinT]

If the amp is set to power amp mode then its volume control shold be bypassed. Therefore a preamp should work fine with its volume control setting the main system gain.

[wee tee cee]

The unity gain mode does indeed bypass the volume pot and pre amp section.I gave it a whirl using the volume control on my squeeze box controller.Also tried it with the laptop volume control in I tunes.
My real question is..does placing a pre amp in the signal chain add anything or is it just colouring the signal.

[Ali Tait]

I'd say a dedicated pre is usually a good thing. Yes, it's more in the signal path, but it can also provide better impedance matching between your components, which more than outweighs the fact that you have more on the way of the signal. There's also the point that a dedicated pre will have better components generally as it's not just part of the total budget allowed as would be the case in an integrated amp, where costs have to be spread across all the parts inside. There is also the fact that an active pre will usually drive the the power amp section of your integrated better, resulting in a better sound, usually!

[hifi_dave]

It will definitely change the sound but you have to decide whether the Croft pre sounds better than the Naim pre section.

[MartinT]

What Ali says.

[DSJR]

At least the Nait 5 can have the pre and power easily separated.

My advice would be to try the nait preamp with an external power supply and THEN try an additional, non naim power amp. Separating the two will deprive the Naim preamp of its 24V supply (without bodging in any case), so an Avondale or similar will be good, and probably much better than a new Flatcap2. The output from the supply can then feed an audio signal to any power amp of choice, Naim or otherwise.

[wee tee cee]

At least the Nait 5 can have the pre and power easily separated.

My advice would be to try the nait preamp with an external power supply and THEN try an additional, non naim power amp. Separating the two will deprive the Naim preamp of its 24V supply (without bodging in any case), so an Avondale or similar will be good, and probably much better than a new Flatcap2. The output from the supply can then feed an audio signal to any power amp of choice, Naim or otherwise.
Dave,
Unfortunately the nait 5i doesnt have the facility to add power supplies,I beleive the prevoius 5 did.Your lines from small hours are magic,it makes me stop in my tracks every time I hear it.
Regards Tony.