Any thoughts on removing a preamp from your system

Could be right Czarivey. Or the back bone, I am thinking, since I have a prolapsis now. Whatever the analogy, it is central. Listening now to the integrated Ming Da Mc-34a amp and Aurum Cantus speakers at my cottage. It can't compare to my main rig, but it does very well, at its level, and one reason is that there is no preamp problem. The preamp is integrated, well-tuned to the main amp, in one box. When we go for bigger, more specialized systems, we have to work out more of the system synergy ourselves.

From what a member has sent me O_holter, I don't think the 34A has an active preamp in it.
Both the Ming Da MC34A and MC34B are very similar and are poweramps with a 100kohm passive volume control and input switching on the input.
The B costs $100 more as it has triode switchability and uses 6L6 instead of EL34. See the circuit diagram with just the 100kohm passive pot on the input tube to the poweramp input tube.

http://www.pastisch.se/EF/Ming%20Da%20MC34B%20schematic%20mod%201.gif

Cheers George

I used to have creek 4340 integrated amp that had passive line stage. Once I've acquired Bryston .5b pre and connected into the chain instead of passive, I immediately noticed what was missing!

Guys, It seems most of you favor a nice preamp in the path.

Well I made what I believe is a new discovery over the weekend, which maybe you can help me with.

Here's my situation.

I am running two turntables and their respective phono amps thru my VTL 5.5 preamp.

One is on the RCA input marked Phono, the other on an AUX input. I direct connected (i.e., by_passed the preamp) the one on the the AUX input and immediately liked the sound. I am still loving it. The direct to power amp connection just sounds more transparent and immediate to me.

1. Could I be imagining this increased transparency?

2. Could it be the AUX input is not suited for a phono amp connection and only the phono RCA connection is appropriate for phono? (The table running through this connection sounds great, albeit a mono cartridge setup.)

3. Or should I re-tube my preamp?

Herb

Hcalland, if your phono stage has enough gain by itself by comming out of aux and bypassing the preamps tube line output stage, then yes you are getting rid of an unnecessary tube gain stage and the result will be more transparency.

Todays sources (phono,cdp,dacs) all have enough gain by themselves to drive most amps to full output, why add another preamp gain stage, only to knock the gain of the source back down with the volume control and creating more noise.

Just read what Nelson Pass has to say about it here.
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1400932591&openflup&6&4#6

Cheers George