power amp or pre amp difference is...???

shondoman
shondoman Posts: 27
edited May 2009 in Electronics
im looking to upgrade and use power amps for my home theater but whats the differance with a power amp and a pre amp would a pre -work to power speakers or is for somthinfg else??
Post edited by shondoman on
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  • wingnut4772
    wingnut4772 Posts: 7,519
    edited May 2009
    What receiver are you using now? If it has ' Pre Outs ' you can add an amp to it. A Pre Amp is a controller. An Amp is the power.
    Sharp Elite 70
    Anthem D2V 3D
    Parasound 5250
    Parasound HCA 1000 A
    Parasound HCA 1000
    Oppo BDP 95
    Von Schweikert VR4 Jr R/L Fronts
    Von Schweikert LCR 4 Center
    Totem Mask Surrounds X4
    Hsu ULS-15 Quad Drive Subwoofers
    Sony PS3
    Squeezebox Touch

    Polk Atrium 7s on the patio just to keep my foot in the door.
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  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    edited May 2009
    shondoman wrote: »
    im looking to upgrade and use power amps for my home theater but whats the differance with a power amp and a pre amp would a pre -work to power speakers or is for somthinfg else??


    Assuming you aren’t jerking me around, a pre-amp (before the amplifier) provides, and possibly conditions, the source (CD, tuner, turntable, etc.) electrical signal (the music), to the (power) amplifier which increases (amplifies) the electrical signal, and sends the electrical signal to the speakers, which, depending on the size of the signal, will then vibrate in rhythm to the signal, and make some type of sound, depending on the input signal.
    Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
    Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
    Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes

    Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
    Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
    Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables

    Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
    Three 20 amp circuits.
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  • comfortablycurt
    comfortablycurt Posts: 6,745
    edited May 2009
    Well, to put it into simpler terms...

    Pre, is a prefix meaning earlier, before or prior to, amongst numerous other definitions. Given that defintion, a pre-amp is what comes before, or prior to, the amp. Thus the term, pre-amp.;)

    The pre-amp is just the controller. You hook up your CD player, turntable, radio tuner etc... to it, and allows you to switch between your various sources. It also controls your volume level, tone controls(bass,treble) and numerous other features which vary from model to model.

    The pre-amp is then followed by the power amp, which is what provides the amplified current to your speakers. The power amp's sole function is providing the amplified current.
    The nirvana inducer-
    APC H10 Power Conditioner
    Marantz UD5005 universal player
    Parasound Halo P5 preamp
    Parasound HCA-1200II power amp
    PolkAudio LSi9's/PolkAudio SDA 2A's/PolkAudio Monitor 7A's
    Audioquest Speaker Cables and IC's
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  • josephtenzin
    josephtenzin Posts: 51
    Many thanks to all of you. I am moving from a receiver system to a pre, power, tuner system for my "new" 2As.
    This is a great place to keep learning.
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  • boston1450
    boston1450 Posts: 7,640
    edited January 2015
    ^^^^^^^^^ whats up here. 2009 thread. So whats your intent ?
    ..
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  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    josephtenzin wrote: »
    Many thanks to all of you. I am moving from a receiver system to a pre, power, tuner system for my "new" 2As.
    This is a great place to keep learning.

    Welcome to Club Polk Joseph, You will enjoy your system for years to come. Get as much power as you can afford so that your current speakers and any others you get in the future will have all they need to sound their best.
    Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
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  • gudnoyez
    gudnoyez Posts: 8,124
    http://www.chuckhawks.com/stereo_pre-amp_basics.htm

    Here you go Joe this will clarify it for you have fun, and welcome to the club.
    Home Theater
    Parasound Halo A 31 OnkyoTX-NR838 Sony XBR55X850B 55" 4K RtiA9 Fronts CsiA6 Center RtiA3 Rears FxiA6 Side Surrounds Dual Psw 111's Oppo 105D Signal Ultra Speaker Cables & IC's Signal Magic Power Cable Technics SL Q300 Panamax MR4300 Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables Audioquest Forest USB Cable

    2 Channel
    Adcom 555II Vincent SA-T1 Marantz SA 15S2 Denon DR-M11 Clearaudio Bluemotion SDA 2.3tl's (Z) edition MIT Terminator II Speaker Cables & IC's Adcom 545II Adcom Gtp-450 Marantz CD5004 Technics M245X SDA 2B's, SDA CRS+

    Stuff for the Head
    JD LABS C5 Headphone Amplifier, Sennheiser HD 598, Polk Audio Buckle, Polk Audio Hinge, Velodyne vPulse, Bose IE2, Sennheiser CX 200 Street II, Sennheiser MX 365

    Shower & Off the beaten path Rigs
    Polk Audio Boom Swimmer, Polk Audio Urchin B)
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  • boston1450
    boston1450 Posts: 7,640
    More informationon what your doing would be cool. We kinda like talking about amps preamps n speakers around here :smile: youll love seperates
    ..
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