To Preamp Or Not To Preamp,That Is The Question


Hello
I'm curious this fine Sunday...

In theory, is it better to have a preamp between a CDP (or?) and the amp, or not ? Don't we try to eliminate as many circuits in the path as possible ? Why not eliminate the whole preamp right ?

I have an (2 really) Adcom GCD575, and, I can hook this directly to an amp, and use the Vol control (and Variable output) without a preamp at all...

It sounds really good to me. But, it may be the amp...
I haven't tested with multiple pre's between the same CDP and/or AMP.
mikey44
It sounds really good to me.

You've answered your own question.

If you are purely curious, start another thread: which $xxxx preamp is best with my system? Pick one of the 16-20 various recommendations you get there...any one will do...maybe even one that's repeated more than once. Look for a used one here on A'gon sold by someone with a good track record. Buy it. Try it in your system. If you don't like it, sell it here on A'gon for about what you bought it for. Go back to your thread and pick a different one to try - repeat until you either find the one that sounds even better than "really good", or stop when your curiosity is satisfied, and or when you realize that "really good" is, well... is actually really good.

My experience has been that preamps can make a significant difference. There are also significant differences in using a passive vs active pre, as well as in using the gain available on some players, or gain in the digital domain (don't even go there). Tube preamps may sound different to you than SS preamps, and or may work better within your system. Whether or not you actually hear the differences in your own system, with your own music, as many here have pointed out, is entirely your call. Plenty of input in the archives to read through as well.
all good advice, and I read them all...
The 840c does not have volume or variable output, else I would have jumped 'more vigorously' on the one local b4 it went overseas...still, a good cdp nonetheless, and, I have a few preamps anyways, maybe none highend, but, they all sound good, some better than others...thx for all the advice again...
Here's a few general rules of thumb:

The further away the CDP is from the power amps, the more likely a preamp will help.

If you have a built-in volume control: if analog you will need the preamp less, if it is digital, you will need the preamp more (digital controls rob the signal of resolution as you turn them down, so you use the volume control in the preamp instead to avoid this problem).

Why CDP and DAC designers use digital volume controls is beyond me. None of them work and a digital designer would be the first to know that...
Why CDP and DAC designers use digital volume controls is beyond me. None of them work and a digital designer would be the first to know that...
Ralph, once again two of the most brilliant minds at Audiogon (you and Kirkus) have an intellectual disagreement, at least with respect to contemporary digital volume controls. :-)

See the following thread, especially the comment by Kirkus near the end:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ddgtl&1265995004

Best regards,
-- Al
Al, on this one all I can say is that every time I see a digital volume control, my experience with them is that by the time you are down to 85% (as opposed to 100) there is an audible loss in resolution.

I get that there is an explanation for why I can't possibly be experiencing that; obviously I don't buy it.