Pro/Con of passive pre amps
organ
Posts: 4,969
I'd like to try a passive pre amp one day and I'm just wondering what kind of benifits or downside there are to passive pre amps. What's a good price for one? Some of them seem very expensive for just a box, a few switches and potentiometers. I'm sure a DIY would cost less than $20.
Maurice
Maurice
Post edited by organ on
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I see 2 possible downsides:
1. You may have a source that simply doesn't have the necessary output. (though not likely).
2. Some proponents of active preamps claim that the additional amplification stage gives music more impact/punch, where passive preamp's can sound very dry/lean.
The MAJOR Pro: An unadulterated signal through to your amp.
The "downsides" are both very subjective observations--but something to consider. Have a look at the Monolithic Sound PA-1. This is the best of both worlds....passive until you hit the halfway point on the volume, then it becomes an "active" preamp with a very high quality amp; only 6dB of gain however--but should be plenty. I was looking at this preamp VERY hard; its got some great reviews and the price....you ready?......$499. 4 high-level inputs, and an external phono amp is available as well.
http://www.monolithicsound.comSource: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2 -
Lack of an active gain stage, performance issues driving LONG interconn runs (and I mean LONG runs), and lack of 'powered' stages, ie: phono stage, are the only drawbacks in my opinion.
For any of my stand-alone 2ch rigs, I won't ever own a solid state active preamp - passive or tube, PERIOD.
For the most part, passive line stages are the sonic equivelant of nothing at all.
Cheers,
RussCheck your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service. -
agreed, the only downside is the lack of gain.
With efficient speakers, this isn't really an issue but in my case it is and that's the only reason I'm not still using a passive preamp.
BDTI plan for the future. - F1Nut -
Steve,
Thanks for the response and link. That pre looks very nice but it's a little over my price range. If I get serious with passives, I'll consider that unit.
Russ and Troy,
Thanks. I'll only be using it for the CD player and probably XBox so the phono stage is not an issue. Do you guys think a passive pre will work well in my rig? Dynamics/micro dynamics and slam is what I really crave and so far the NAD pre is doing a great job. I know the mids and highs will improve with a passive. Russ, how does the dynamic/slam of your passive pre compare to other SS pre amps you've tried?
Maurice -
My pre is a passive but it also has a buffered output for drving long interconnects or hard to drive amps. I haven't gotten a chance to really compare the two outputs. but the buffered seems to have a slight edge in dynamics. but this thing is unbelievably transparent, adds nothing to the music with either output. I'd love to get my hands on a tubed pre to compare. I've been eyeing a Conrad Johnson PV10 but I don't see my wife giving me the go ahead any time soon!
Sony KDL-40V2500 HDTV, Rotel RSX-1067 Receiver, Sony BDP-S550 Blu-ray, Slim Devices Squeezebox, Polk RTi6, CSi3 & R15, DIY sub with Atlas 15 -
Originally posted by organ
Steve,
Thanks for the response and link. That pre looks very nice but it's a little over my price range. If I get serious with passives, I'll consider that unit.
Ebay my man, saw one sell the other day for $185. That's a steal. This preamp is a "sleeper" but once word gets around, i think it's going to be an instant classic. Very simple/elegant yet it has 4 inputs and 2 preamp outputs...very flexible.Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2 -
Troy, do you still have your adcom passive?
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