Linestage v. Preamp


Could someone please explain in detail the exact differences between a linestage and preamp?

Much appreciated.
stehno

Showing 2 responses by zaikesman

All preamps once had built-in phonostages, in the days before high-output, non-EQ-needing CD players became the most popular source. Today such preamps, capable of directly handling the signal from a phono cartridge, are called 'full-function', while those without internal phonostages are called linestages. They're all preamplifiers though. BTW, a stand-alone phonostage is sometimes also called a 'head-amp' or a pre-preamplifier, and 'passive preamp' is a bit of an oxymoron - they should rightly be called passive attenuators/switchers, because they don't do any amplifying (real preamps with gain are also referred to as being 'active' in comparison, though this is normally assumed without explicit mention).
Nope, you can't slide anything past ol' Dan (hey, it takes one to know one... :-)