Why some preamps weigh 50+ lbs?

We offer a damping package as an option in two of our preamps. It adds considerable weight. However its effect is both measurable and audible (the latter if the preamp is in the room with the speakers). 

Tube preamps use tubes :) Tubes are subject to microphonic effects. The more vibration they receive the greater the microphonics. Microphonics is a distortion- its added sound to the signal. By damping, by have a more robust chassis, by isomerically isolating sensitive parts you can reduce microphonic effects and thus have a better sounding?lower distortion preamp.  

And that's just one reason...

Then you have passive pre-amps….

High end preamps (and DACs, phono stages and streamers)use every design trick to lower the noise floor and create a quiet stable power supply. This entails massive power supplies and mass to dampen vibration. I think the average of my components is around 40 lbs... Phono Stage, Preamp, DAC, and Streamer. 

I can honestly say that over the last fifty years I have never heard a great light weight audiophile component. After a while, I would always check out its weight before choosing to listen to something. If it didn’t weight a lot... I wouldn’t bother (unless highly reviewed... and every one failed to impress me). Typically the sound quality varies with the weight. However there are some heavy components that don't sound good. So you can't  choose by weight, I choose by the sound. But you can eliminate the stuff that is not likely to sound as good that way. 

I have a friend in the business and asked if he had ever heard a great piece of gear that was light weight... he could only think of one. He was a dealer going to shows every year, selling for over 25 years. 

The collective weight of parts used equals the weight of the unit. Hope this helps.

Mine weighs 53 lbs and has two chassis. It takes 8 tubes and a lot of space. The mono amps each weigh 45 lbs and have 7 tubes each. Looks cool and sounds pretty good. One thing for sure is with 22 tubes it’s one heck of a good space heater ! This way I can hear my electricity being used. I just wanted to inject some humor. Happy Thanksgiving to all, Mike B.