How to connect pre amp/ power amp?

Hi Audiophiles,
I have the following gear. What would be the best setup for these?

- Polk Audio RTi10 floor standers
- Emotiva UPA 200 Power Amp
- Rotel RC 970 PreAmp/ Receiver (with pre outs)
- NAD T748 (with pre outs)
- Yamaha RXV 667 HT receiver
- Polk Audio PSW125 Subwoofer
- Sony/ Pioneer generic CD Player

I tried pairing the CD player to Rotel Pre Amp to NAD T 748. But what I noticed in this connection was that both the rotel and NAD had the volume controls. So I guess I was doing something wrong.

In the past I tried Yamaha V667 to Emotiva power amp as I learned that the RTI10s are power hungry. Many also told me they are not the best speakers. I don't wish to change them yet.

Later when I go the NAD I connected them directly via the NAD T748 as a receiver. No power amp. That's what I am using now.

Just got my hands on the Rotel Pre amp (for free) yesterday so I am wondering if using it with the power amp would give better sound?

Any recommendations?
Thanks in advance.

Best Answer

  • SeleniumFalcon
    SeleniumFalcon Posts: 3,452
    Answer ✓
    In general terms you have three receivers and one power amplifier, a self-powered subwoofer and a CD player. I would imagine either the Rotel or the NAD would be the better sounding preamplifiers, followed closely by the Yamaha. There are a couple of different ways to connect the subwoofer depending on how each preamp controls the bass signal it passes on to the sub. I might be tempted to use a pair of "Y" cables on the preamp right and left preamp outputs to the corresponding right and left line level inputs on the sub. This would send a full range signal to the subwoofer and then you could use the sub's low pass filter to blend with the speakers.
    There are also people who advocate running a second set of speaker wires from the amplifier's output to the speaker level inputs on the subwoofer in place of any line level connections. The idea here is that the amplifier will impart it's sonic character on the speakers and on the subwoofer, allowing for a more cohesive blending.
    I hope this is helpful.

Answers

  • Turn Everything Off. ...
    Plug Your Audio Device(s) into Your Preamp. ...
    Plug Your Preamp into the Receiver. ...
    Turn Your Preamp On and Lower the Volume All the Way Down. ...
    Turn on the Receiver and Adjust the Preamp's Volume. ...
    Adjust the Preamp's Gain.