Matching preamp to amp

Hi Dave,

I'm not sure exactly what the 7 volt number represents (see below), but I feel pretty certain that however it is defined those numbers should NOT match.

Otherwise you may find yourself either running out of range on the volume control, or clipping (overloading) the preamp. Basically, as long as you don't ever find yourself wanting to turn the volume control up past its maximum position, and you don't find yourself operating the volume control near the low end of its range (where adjustment resolution may become excessively coarse, and with some volume controls the balance between channels may degrade), you are fine.

That said, can you clarify what the 7 volt number represents? With a lot of preamps, that kind of number represents the output level at which the preamp will overload or start to distort heavily. I would guess, though, that the overload number for your CAT would be considerably higher than that.

Or does it represent the output level in response to some specific input level?

The 0.95 volt sensitivity of the power amp, btw, is fairly typical. To reach full power, most power amps will require somewhere between perhaps 0.5 and 2 volts or so.

Regards,
-- Al

Hi Dave,

A preamp SHOULD have the ability to swing far more voltage at its output than the full power sensitivity of the power amp. The output voltage that the preamp WILL swing is not dependent on what it CAN swing.

Your volume control setting will be dependent on the gain of the preamp, the output voltage of the source component, the gain of the power amp, the sensitivity of the speakers, your listening distance, the dynamic range of the source material, and your preferred listening volume. The maximum output voltage swing that the preamp is spec'd for is not normally a factor in any of that.

If you are saying that the CAT is spec'd as having a MAXIMUM output voltage swing of 7 volts, that is probably near the low end of typical and is most likely not a concern. It is the gain of the preamp that might be a concern, if it is high and you are using a source component that has a high output level, such as most cdp's.

If that is the case, and you find yourself using the volume control at very low settings, you could use a Rothwell attenuator in series between the preamp and power amp.

Regards,
-- Al