I think one of the best benefits of separates now is that you can pick and choose the features you want from each and not be limited to what is available as integrated.
@TNPFan
6 жыл бұрын
Did away with my preamp two years ago, haven’t missed it since. But I keep it in my rack because I’m an audio nerd and still enjoy looking at it. Sad, but true. 🤓
@YouTube.TOM.A
5 жыл бұрын
Keep it on your rack my friend. I have discovered something new. Finely crafted Turntables and Vinyl recordings that run at 45 and 33 revolutions per minute, imagine that !! So much ambience missing when you get rid of vinyl grooves in favor of optical etching.
@YouTube.TOM.A
5 жыл бұрын
@paul best That is a nice amplifier. It still rated at 750 mv input sensitivity. any more information on the powerless volume control. i cant seem to reference that.
@YouTube.TOM.A
5 жыл бұрын
@paul best Thank you i look again for the item. It is sometimes difficult to filter out disturbances in tube amplifiers. I like integrated preamp amplifiers so that i can have more user[s] capacity available. the jadis you mentioned has 100 watt output which is a lot for non commercial use. I can see that you take quality seriously, I want to build a push pull tube amp but i am not proficient at biasing the circuits.
@coreyfellows9420
4 жыл бұрын
Don't feel bad... I'm building a Pioneer blue light rig with the 707 reel to reel and the 1250 tape deck . Anyway .. I just dumped 130 bucks a revwrberator that I'm never going to use. I'm buying the timer too .(about the same cost) Um a completist and have to have the entire set.
@dtna
3 жыл бұрын
Paul, you are a very nice and patient man. I still have your PS Audio components from the '80s.
@denshi-oji494
5 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the quick overview. There are other needs, which are very hard to find proper matches for today. 1. Phonograph cartridges: a. Moving Magnet b. Moving Coil c. Ceramic d. Selectable eq curves... 2. Tape head inputs for old reel to reel recorders/players also with selectable eq.
@ozosman3234
5 жыл бұрын
Hi Paul, i like watching your videos here in the U.K. I might be wrong, but i think Mr. Peter Walker who owned the Quad ( known previously in the 1940's as the aucustical company ), company was the first person to produce a seperate preamp and power amp. He was also the first person to develope an electrostatic speaker and the ribbon tweeter. His was a great British company that produced great sounding and fantastic looking audio equipment. Best regards, Oz.
@znraymond
6 жыл бұрын
Thank you, you have just answered me a question in my head for years.
@michaelcrowley8339
6 жыл бұрын
There would have been cassette in '74, just beginning to come into popularity. 8 track, of course, was also quite popular in '74.
@martytoo
5 жыл бұрын
I bought a Harmon Kardon CAD5 cassette deck in the fall of 1972. The store was closing it out because they were going to sell the Advent 201. The first cassette decks with Dolby were the Nakamichi made CAD5, Advent 200 and Fisher RC-80. They were mechanically and electronically equal with very interesting design esthetic differences. However many companies made lower quality stereo cassette decks as early as 1970. I had a Magnavox component cassette deck in 1970 which was a disguised Panasonic deck . The Magnavox had a wood cabinet and threw in two microphones to list at $120 vs $80 for the Panasonic . My friend had an Ampex all in one cassette player, amplifier with two stereo speakers. Even without Dolby his Ampex controlled the hiss better than my Magnovox, probably with a high filter of some sort. I first remember hearing halfway decent cassette tapes play music in lat 69 or early 70 when a high school classmate brought a portable deck into school.
@hifismiffy
2 жыл бұрын
That was the start of the era of hifi quality cassette decks with Dolby B and cassette tapes were improving with brands like TDK and Maxell.
@therugburnz
5 жыл бұрын
I did a music session in the early 80's . The engineer's preference for monitoring amp was a McIntosh home stereo integrated amp. It may had a receiver in it but I don't remember and at 17yrs I didn't know or care if it colored the sound compared to 'what's on the tape sound' because our demo sounded amazing, minus our songwriting of course. My answer to the query is slightly different than PS's. A: I prefer the front end of X brand and the power amp of Y. I have at minimum the paradox of choice if not real choices about how to get "my sound". Peace
@ThinkingBetter
6 жыл бұрын
The compact cassette was introduced by Philips first to the public August 30 1963 at the Berlin Radio Show. Nowadays we call that IFA. By 1968, 85 manufacturers had sold over 2.4 million players. In the 70s until digital recorders replaced the format in the late 90s, lots of stereo cassette decks with Dolby B/C noise reduction and other features were developed.
@ThinkingBetter
6 жыл бұрын
If all you do is to listen to music on one input source via a DAC e.g. from a computer, you really don’t need a preamp. A large preamp doing only volume adjustment is completely silly. My opinion is that my favorite architecture includes a transport or PC, a powerful DSP to carefully tweak the sound, a good DAC, a great power amp and of course great speakers. If you are still into vinyl, you probably want a preamp. Ages ago I had a CD player, record player, FM/AM tuner and cassette player connected to my pre-amp with tone controls, balance control, volume control and so on. With music being digital, now I need none of that really. I believe that most young people don't even know what a pre-amp is.
@Mikexception
5 жыл бұрын
I do not think music is being digital but we do:). We decide to have it digital. I have almost 50% of my music on analog and 50% on digital. So I must have all - LP. CD, reels, cassettes radio, sat radio and PC . What's more i live in place where I must listen at moderate level and at night even barely heard. . For two reasons - my desired sounding and my neighbours comfort I use few vintage amplifiers all of them including "loudness correction". Precision control of input level to them is essential so I use my Bang & Olufsen to do the job of preamp.with additional remote volume. After manually setting desired loudness I make with B&O remote correction depending on music. My conclusion is that for proper using int. amp with loudness correction to set input level I need 100% additional preamp with controls. .
@JoeBob79569
9 ай бұрын
No matter how many times I try to figure out what preamps are for, I always seem to forget. Today I searched again, and ended up here, again, evident by the fact that I had clicked the "Like" button here some time in the past, yet here I am again! This is a great explanation, and it does seem to make sense to me now (maybe like the difference between using using individual tools instead of a Swiss-army knife), but I'll probably forget again in a few weeks! But, I think you probably have to be in a situation where you _need_ a preamp to really understand the purpose of them, which is not the case for most people with ordinary equipment like receivers and stereos.
@Artemis_Prix
7 ай бұрын
While it's true the basic function of a preamp is to allow source selection as well as volume control, high quality, modern preamps do much more. Namely, they will (i) add further gain to the signal which allows more dynamics, and in some cases, may be essential for your amp (some amps require a higher voltage source to sound good); and (ii) the addition of another linear power supply in your system's signal path also will significantly expand the soundstage and dynamics even further than the amp can on its own. But, not all preamps are built to successfully accomplish the latter two...some are just volume and selector knobs (i.e., a true passive preamp). The argument of which is better...passive or active preamps...has long ago been settled...active is the way to go if you're goal is to enhance the dynamics of your system. Hope this is helpful.
@JoeBob79569
7 ай бұрын
@@Artemis_Prix This makes a lot of sense, so basically not all preamps are equal in a broad sense (because obviously they're not all equal!), so I suppose you would need to know _why_ you need a preamp before you just go out and mindlessly buy one because all the cool kids have them. Like one person might buy one just for control, but someone else might buy one to make the sound better..
@MaxoticsTV
6 жыл бұрын
The "burning" question wasn't answered for me! The question is, "Does anyone need a preamp?" You answered the question, "Why did you build a preamp?" I have a NAD amplifier I bought at Goodwill. Do I need a preamp? For now I'm using the pot on the back. It would seem to me that any electronics between my signal source and amp would degrade the quality. So, do I need a preamp? What does that preamp in the video do that the pot in the amp doesn't? You say it is the only way for you to get the quality you want. Maybe that quality can only be seen on an oscilloscope? Can a person off the street--can I--notice the difference between a signal into amp only and one through your preamp? If they can, explain the difference. Answer the question. I am subscribing to your channel in the hope that you will actually answer the question in a future video from the user's point of view.
@barneywee514
5 жыл бұрын
A good and fair question indeed. Paul do you have the guts to answer?
@HazeAnderson
5 жыл бұрын
Most applications for pre-amps are for microphones. Additionally, the pre-amp is the circuit that provides phantom power for the mics that need it. From what I understand the pre-amp is used to get non-line level signals up to line-level, so if you are already dealing with audio signals that are line level then you shouldn't need a pre-amp at all.
@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120
5 жыл бұрын
a lot of actual musicians say it isn't so ! that all that extra filtering gives a more artificial sound One Famous singer said the best real sound he ever heard was threw a Pioneer sx1980 receiver powering a set of Pioneer HPM-100 speakers !
@oysteinsoreide4323
5 жыл бұрын
At a minimum you must have a volume control. That's the absolute minimum. With minimum one line level input and one volume attenuator level out....
@oysteinsoreide4323
5 жыл бұрын
@@HazeAnderson You are talking about studio pre amplifier which is not the same as a hifi system pre-amplifier. They serve different purpose. If you have a separate pre-amp in the studio is usually because it often is better than the pre-amp that is a part of the interface or mixer. Every hifi system has a pre-amplifier. Either built into the power amplifier, or as a separate pre-amp, or now in the modern world, it's often built into the DAC. Many DACs can be used as volume control with an option to have line level out as well.
@fatboy19831
6 жыл бұрын
If you have an very basic 2 channel system. You can use an high quality streaming device ( like Blue sound) and run it directly into an high quality stereo amplifier. It won't play very loud but it will sound beautiful. With a few exceptions the best pre amp is no pre. Amp. One of those exceptions is an high quality tube pre amp.
@peterbaugh51
7 ай бұрын
I need a preamp with tubes. Because I can hear the difference tubes make. I make music. I play music. Every professional musician I ever worked with used tube amps. Even tubes in microphones. I love tube sound. Reminds me of live performances. And my Mom's HiFi console playing LP classical music records. Solid state just dont cut it for me. But digital, CD recordings of live music played back through a tube system... Yeah. No turntable for me. Not needed. But me do need tubes 😄
@wallstreetcrash1
7 ай бұрын
Ok I got that.. And I too.. finally, after 40 years understand ! thanks. KCB🙂👍🇬🇧
@cardo1111
2 жыл бұрын
Good topic. I have a good condition now vintage (pre-cd era) Sumo Electra preamp. It has served me well for many years.
@195516Z
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for this video. I finally have an answer ( after many years) to what a pre amp is for and now I need to know if I really need one for playing my vinyl, which for me is my only goal.
@624radicalham
6 жыл бұрын
You're wonderful. It won't kill you to take the time and sit down and watch some KZitem videos on the history of audio formats, like a KZitem channel called Techmoan. Cassettes were around way before 74. Seriously, you sound like a busy active man, but watch around this great resource of KZitem that we have in the palm of our hands.
@MountainBoy99
5 жыл бұрын
Spot on Paul! There's a reason I'm designing and about ready to build my own low voltage preamp because the integrated preamp in my Canon DSLR isn't up to the task. Also I need a little more juice than PIP can provide. Hope you and the family are doing well!
@brianmoore581
6 жыл бұрын
So you admit that all this is your fault, Paul! My bank account has suffered greatly because of you!...but my ears thank you, as does my soul.
@Tonyplat98
4 жыл бұрын
Brian lmao...
@Paulmcgowanpsaudio
4 жыл бұрын
Hah! Sorry Brian....
@hifismiffy
2 жыл бұрын
Ooh! a thumbnail of my first stereo tuner - the cute Sony ST-70. That was 1974. My amplifier was a Trio(Kenwood) KA-2002 along with a BSR McDonald HT-70 and a Shure M75EJ cartridge. Nostalgia creeps in again .
@cp070476
6 жыл бұрын
You need a pre amp for volume control, Most power amps have no remote for adjusting volume.. Also you need tone controls this is most vital! many 'Audiophiles' would say i'm swearing but it is fact.. Also EQ is vital.. Listening to AC/DC yesterday 'Back In Black' it sounded dire very muffled and dull so i adjusted the treble and EQ hey presto it sounds as it should!. Recordings vary vastly from bad/good and you need to compensate for this. Even on Paul's IRSV's Back In Black would sound dull because it was recorded that way!
@hifismiffy
2 жыл бұрын
Masochists should just connect the output of a CD player directly to the power amp. Switch it on and watch the loudspeaker voice coils fly by you - and the neighbours decide that you must be got rid of !
@icthru2344
2 жыл бұрын
You did not explain exactly what you meant by the word, "compromised," by combining the amp and pre-amp. As far as I know with my limited knowledge base is, that could mean either by insufficient voltage or current, or by unwanted frequencies. The unwanted frequencies have to be filtered out anyway no matter what power supply the signal is associated with and as for the voltage and current, you just need to select the proper power supply that makes available the voltage and current needed. You explained it like the pro that you are and I am sure that you are right. I have learned so much from you, but on this issue, I still do not see the advantage for the millions of us who bought them to listen to Motley Crew screaming, "Come on feel the noise!" We are a hopeless bunch. I really appreciate your insight into the audio industry. Thank you for all that you do, as well as, your input. One more point. Dosn't the sound systems at Disney World sound superb? They have incredible bass, are very loud and have exceptional clarity. I wonder what equipment they use?
@craigmonteforte1478
2 жыл бұрын
thankyou for doing this topic and going into such detail i’m like the writer that sent that in for many years i’m nearly 60 years of age and as a teenager i did purchase my first r”real “ Stereo system for my bedroom at my parents home i purchased separate Amplifier ,Tuner and my other components and my main gear was all ASE two equipment the A 7 had a preamp for my Turntable and i was pretty happy with that integrated one unfortunately 20 years later my 1 year old Son was fascinated with buttons and knobs and i watched him go to my Amp with the volume on full and turned it on Accidently it made him nearly jump out of his Diaper that got me hysterically laughing and it never worked again i gave it to a lifelong freind that is a Sound and Lighting man for over 35 years and at one time took formal Schooling to repair Equipment and had a small shop he never got it working or told me why it was shot i of course did check all the fuses and obvious hinges right away that Amp had always had a delay on turning on completely and that delay was getting longer over the years to me it sounded like a Relay as the lights and everything came on but no Audio and after a loud internal Click it began working normal. i’m on the hunt for one on Ebay that’s been recapped and fully serviced but i’m torn because some of todays modern Equipment makes more sense most specifically for Home Theater ,built in Streaming ,Bluetooth , and of course Remote Control that honestly Mama likes i’m okay with it too plus having the HDMI ports and the Capadibility to the Flat Screens we are using now i even take my modern Electronics a step further by. buying one Brand so the remote controls work everything without reprogramming them as we have multiple Dwellings ,plus Motor boats , Rvs , and multiple Entertainment areas like Shop , Office ,Etc FYI i enjoy your channel a lot i am not formally trained in Electronics but i am pretty well read and handy like i do have Woodworking Skills and generally install my own Electronics in my vehicles ,Boats , and Motor homes not to save money but mostly because i enjoy controlling my deadlines and dislike paying someone for innapropriate Craftsmanship
@paulstubbs7678
5 жыл бұрын
One option a preamp privides is it lets you play with monoblock amplfiers loacted next to the speakers to reduce speaker lead length. If these monoblocks were integrated amps, just look at the mess involved with multiple inputs, and even just changing the volume etc.
@MostlyBuicks
5 жыл бұрын
Making a comment after having paused the video at 1:03. Well what the person who asked the question is thinking about is called an integrated amp. Take it a step further, a receiver is a tuner, a preamp and a power amp in one box. Now there are amps that have built-in attenuators so you could hook up ONE source into it and avoid the need of a preamp. And even more common, there are CD players and DACs that have volume control which would also allow one to connect directly to a power amp, which would not require a preamp. But in both of those cases you have to pay attention to output impedance (of the source) input impedance (of the amp) plus the output voltage of the source and then input sensitivity of the amp. They also make passive preamps that allow that type of connection with the added advantage of having a switch for multiple sources. But YES, in one form or another you NEED a preamp, built in or outboard.
@kaelmolo1432
Жыл бұрын
your voice sounds like therapy. subscribed.
@eemians7026
Жыл бұрын
Hah! Thanks. I very much appreciate it. Welcome!
@garlandtube3
5 жыл бұрын
I still use my Sansui AU-717, for my phono circuit. Hard rating to beat.
@hifi2169
6 жыл бұрын
I want a BHK + preamp with separate power supplies for each channel. Would be even better if the transformers were housed in a separate box.
@BogdanSerban
6 жыл бұрын
You can build it yourself for a fraction of the cost.
@hifi2169
6 жыл бұрын
Bogdan Serban Only if I wanted to void the warranty.
@BogdanSerban
6 жыл бұрын
@@hifi2169 no, I mean you can build the whole unit yourself, preamp and power supply
@hifi2169
6 жыл бұрын
Bogdan Serban No I can’t
@cdshawn
6 жыл бұрын
C Ab you're right you're right that you can and you're right that you can't it's all up to you.
@maxpower78-15
Жыл бұрын
Once i went the separates route, i never looked back. Even more reasonable separates seem better to me than high end integrated amps
@valentingheorghe1693
Жыл бұрын
Basically, a preamplifier is a device used to take a weak audio signal level, like 0.316 V RMS (-10 dBV), used by consumer audio equipments, and bring it up to the required line level (0.775 V RMS, 1 V RMS, 1.23 V RMS, etc) needed to drive the power amplifier to its ful rated power output. Ideally, one would wish to have an audio source able to deliver a high output signal level between 1 V RMS and 3 V RMS, the higher the better, and match it with an amplifier with low input sensitivity (high input signal level), in order to avoid the use of an excessive amplification factor (voltage gain), which can have a negative effect on the amplifier frequency response curve (the amplifier behaves like a filter). Personally, I prefer the use of separate dedicated audio components along the entire signal chain, connected to a high quality professional audio mixing console, using balanced connections on all inputs and outputs. The mixing console with highly accurate level meters, allows me to monitor and feed the clean (unclipped) and required nominal signal level to the amplifier input stage and, therefore, drive the amplifier to its maximum rated power output without driving it into clipping. The result is clean sound, amplifier thermal stability and happy loudspeakers.
@donalddeorio2237
4 жыл бұрын
I have to agree with you, if you want the next level of performance, separates is the way to go. You don't necessarily have to break the bank doing it. I could not afford new, just economics. I was paying good amount of child support, but I loved my music. Did my homework and put together a Rotel pre-amp processor ( know you're not a fan) and an Carver AV705X power amp. And Infinity interlude speakers and I had a very good sounding system for under 2k . But it does out perform any receiver I've heard . Thanks Paul
@WireWeHere
5 жыл бұрын
Definitely had cassettes in 74. I got my first in 72.
@artnouveau4332
3 жыл бұрын
And 8 tracks
@hifismiffy
2 жыл бұрын
Yup ! My first hifi cassette deck was a Trio KX-700 with Dolby B - bought from my cousin when he bought an Aiwa AD-1500 in 1974.
@miltoncrosbie5567
6 жыл бұрын
I've been using separates for years. First HK Citation 11 preamp/Citation 19 power amp. Until they gave out. Now I use Parasound P7 preamp/A21 power amp. The phono stage in the P7 is superior to any previous phono amp in any receiver/integrated amp I've ever had. imo, the quality of the preamp is more important than the quality of a power amp. But when you have a combo of equal quality to each, so much the better.
@janinapalmer8368
6 жыл бұрын
Heyee... that tuner on the title image was the very first FM/AM tuner I ever owned ... it was a Sony ST-70... it was only a cheapie but with a good antenna it worked well ...
@PeriodWoodworker
2 жыл бұрын
Wow. That sure sounds like a “Marketing” answer. I am glad I have realized my ears are not sophisticated enough to need both a super expensive pre-amp and amp. My integrated amp is perfect for me.
@M4XD4B0ZZ
4 жыл бұрын
Thank you for this amazing sharing of your wisdom
@stevenmaxham4342
5 жыл бұрын
I have a $70 passive preamp and it beats powered preamp under $1000 sound wise by a mile. Disadvantages: you wil to pay more attention to the impedance requirements of your source components. Your computer, it doesn’t care, some cd and DVD players they don’t care either. With some source components you need a powered amp. And you still need a phono preamp. If you pay attention to what source you buy a passive preamp would be a fantastic deal!
@mrfreeman1763
5 жыл бұрын
For anyone who uses a serious pre-amp: Are you using headphones or speakers? High impedance or low? Do you "believe" in EQ/ coloring the sound? Aside from input selection/ volume control, what are you getting from the pre-amp that you don't get without it, from a good source with a good DAC?
@Quizzical106
2 жыл бұрын
Not to mention it sells more stuff. The $350 Harmon Kardon stereo receiver/amp that I bought in 1975 still sounded far better than the 10K system i have now which still sounds like crap.
@eddiegalindo1770
6 жыл бұрын
THANK YOU !! very much, you just enlightened my brain. I never knew what the heck a pre-amp was
@cmkilcullen8176
4 жыл бұрын
Eddie I didn't either. I have a Yamaha a S801 inegrated amp. I always wondered what a pre amp was for. I did get a phono pre amp. Why? Because I really didn't like the phono stage in the Yamaha. I thought the signal lacked punch. I was told that this was not unusual. So I got a phono box phono pre amp upon recommendation. It takes up an input, but it was worth it because I heard such a difference once the pro ject phono box was added. But a separate component pre amp? Did I want or need it? A phono pre amp was for me was optional, but it would have been NECESSARY if my power source had no phono input or if my turntable had no built in pre amp. But what was this pre amp component thing about? Well, now I know I don't really need it. I am happy with how the Yamaha performs with all the other components. An integrated amp is an all in one. The only thing I NEED is a tuner. I decided to go with Serius Satellite. Done. This all sounds duh, I know. But my whole audio life has been about receivers...I live and learn, what can I say? Since then I have experimented with a Schitt Loki. That's about it. Thanks...
@dustys5512
5 жыл бұрын
I'm guessing a lot of the circuitry in the preamp would interfere with the poweramp and cause noise if they were combined into one unit.
@jeffjames4064
3 жыл бұрын
People said I was crazy for investing in separate components back in the 70's. HA! I've been vindicated👍
@MostlyBuicks
5 жыл бұрын
Many integrated amps have a preamp out and amp in. I have found that many integrated amps have a great power amp but a mediocre preamp and visa versa. Having these two components separate allows for picking the best of each (in your price range) to have a combination better (more to your tastes and preferences) than most integrated amps can allow for.
@cmkilcullen8176
4 жыл бұрын
Humbucker I've found this to be especially true of the phono stage on receivers and integrated amps. Getting a good phono pre amp helps. Many receivers are marketed to attract vinyl lovers, but they do not sound very good even if you have a decent turntable.
@CUDAbuster
5 жыл бұрын
Has any manufacturer taken the approach of digitally separating/filtering frequency bands, then amplifying each band width independently, whereas if a speaker was to be a three way design (bass, mid and treble) with independent binding post to each driver, then a cross over network in the speaker would be unnecessary? It seems to be arcane to send the fully amplified band width (say 20hz to 20Khz) to the speaker, then have a crossover do all the work necessary to divide the amplified signal. Seems you could achieve much more precise sound if dividing first, then amplifying.
@dhpbear2
6 жыл бұрын
3:46 - in 1974, there were cassette players, but they, along with the tape formulations, really shat!
@mikeleahy5283
6 жыл бұрын
How aboat 8 tracks I had a Fisher, L.O.L
@martytoo
5 жыл бұрын
The Nakamichi 1000 came out in 1974 and it did not do what you said. It can still hold its own if the capacitors and pots are rehabbed. This was the first product that Nakamichi sold with their name on it and to call it anything other than state of the art for 1974 would be a crime. But the question is how good it was. To untrained ears in the typical stereo store the tapes made on the 1000 sounded better than many reel to reel decks of that era. When they came out with the stripped down 700 it was supposed to be equivalent as far as audio fidelity. The next two that I remember were the model 600 and another whose model number escapes me (400?). These two were two head decks rather than the three heads of the 1000 and 700. I still own a 1977 600 and wonder to this day if I should have bought the floor model 700 that was being offered in a nice suburban Chicago dealer (near Naperville, Illinois) rather than the 600 I bought at HiFi Hutch in Villa Park, Illinois. The mid seventies were a fun time to get into audio. I am in the middle of recreating my mid seventies system. I hope my 600 is up to the task.
@hifismiffy
2 жыл бұрын
Not so. My first cassette deck was a Trio KX-700 bought from my cousin in 1974. It had Dolby B and could handle CrO2 tapes. Decent hifi quality ! This was the start of the era of great cassette decks. I have owned Pioneer CTF-9191, CTF-1250, Aiwa ADF-990 decks and these were stunning. The last two handled Metal tapes and had 3 heads for monitoring.
@pesto9
6 жыл бұрын
Paul's arm hair just added $10 to the value of that preamp.
@joshuajohnson3296
3 жыл бұрын
@8:01 Paul's like Namaste
@lloyd.8272
5 жыл бұрын
Same with anything that try’s to combine lots of different technologies. Take a phone, it has a camera,dac,headphone out, memory storage, flash light, loud speakers ect and none perform better than dedicated equipment.
@crazycanadian2560
2 жыл бұрын
don't forget that having a separate preamp power amp keeps a lot of heat away from the preamp.. if all that was in the same box heat could be a problem
@pablocespedes9585
5 жыл бұрын
Excellent answer, thanks!
@machintelligence
6 жыл бұрын
Compact cassettes were introduced in 1963.
@AriKona
6 жыл бұрын
Thanks. I was wondering if I was having a senior moment when I remembered the TEAC deck I purchased in 71. How could I have done that if they didn't come out until after 74?
@lazierboy2000
6 жыл бұрын
Comp cassettes have not been used in HiFi at that time, they were only a tool for recording while records were used in 99 precent of the time. Its the same if you say quantum computers were used in 2018 but they were only a scientific thing..
@mark22732
6 жыл бұрын
Introduced doesn't mean they were actually used by the general population...
@BlankBrain
6 жыл бұрын
The Advent 200 was the first HiFi cassette deck, and was introduced somewhere around 1978. It featured Dolby noise reduction and support for CrO2 tape.
@jonathansturm4163
6 жыл бұрын
Nakamichi introduced 3 head hi-fi cassette decks in 1973.
@SDsailor7
4 жыл бұрын
My stereo receiver has a built in amp and it also has rca plug ins for a preamp why does it have them if they are not needed? anyone know? So if you have a preamp and hook it up to my receiver will it help in making the sound of the turntable, cassette deck, reel to reel sound better?Thank you
@hifismiffy
2 жыл бұрын
I have owned a few amplifiers that let you separate the pre and power sections by way of jumpers on the back panel. They may be useful if you wanted to use a graphic equaliser or a similar device which were a fad decades ago. Nowadays, I don't think many people would use them.
@architectlogin
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for posting this but i feel like the answer given was a little circular. I'm still not clear on what a pre-amp does that is NOT covered by the POT in the amplifier. "Performance" was the only /reason/ given for having the extra physical space taken up by components that are found in existing pre-amps. "You need a preamplifier or else you'd just have a bigger amplifier". I'd be really interested in what is 'missing' from the chain between a DAC and an Amplifier that a pre-amplifier can add. What is the 'performance' that a pre-amp adds?
@valentingheorghe1693
Жыл бұрын
Basically, a preamplifier is a device used to take a weak audio signal level, like 0.316 V RMS (-10 dBV), used by consumer audio equipments, and bring it up to the required line level (0.775 V RMS, 1 V RMS, 1.23 V RMS, etc) needed to drive the power amplifier to its ful rated power output. Ideally, one would wish to have an audio source able to deliver a high output signal level between 1 V RMS and 3 V RMS, the higher the better, and match it with an amplifier with low input sensitivity (high input signal level), in order to avoid the use of an excessive amplification factor (voltage gain), which can have a negative effect on the amplifier frequency response curve (the amplifier behaves like a filter). Personally, I prefer the use of separate dedicated audio components along the entire signal chain, connected to a high quality professional audio mixing console, using balanced connections on all inputs and outputs.
@architectlogin
11 ай бұрын
@@valentingheorghe1693 Thank you that helps a lot. I keep re-reading your answer and more lights come on.. Really appreciate it.
@valentingheorghe1693
11 ай бұрын
If you wonder what performance a preamplifier brings to the table is the fact that its job is to amplify the weak signal, mentioned above, to a higher, line level standard signal, as cleanly and linearly as possible. As an example, the voltage generated by a microphone , when it picks up sound, is just a few thousands of a volt. In order to amplify this weak signal and bring it up to the nominal line level standard of 1.23 V RMS (+4 dBU), used by a professional mixing console, you need up to about 60 dB of gain, which means an amplification factor of 1000x. That's why, high quality, dedicated microphone preamps are not cheap, because they have to retain the frequency spectrum of a voice or an instrument and amplify it to the desired line level used during mixing sessions, without unwanted filtering effects or distorsions.
@valentingheorghe1693
11 ай бұрын
In your original comment you wondered what is "missing" from the signal chain between the DAC and the amplifier. Answer: a DAC with a built-in preamplifier.
@architectlogin
11 ай бұрын
@@valentingheorghe1693 Many of my amplifiers have a volume control but i see people buying pre-amplifiers for them and that's including when the DACs have a volume control. So still a little curious as to what 'special' a pre-amp could add to the experience when there are inline volume controls available being disabled to use an external pre-amp. I may still be missing what the difference is between volume control and pre-amp is. (still digesting the voltage info from your prior explanation. )
@russellesimonetta3835
5 жыл бұрын
Gotta have a way to adjust the fidelity of things like cymbals ect treble mid and bass is critical for my ears.
@hauxon
5 жыл бұрын
...well do we need a preamp when we have a DAC with multiple inputs (and volume control)? ;)
@666PANDEMONIUM
4 жыл бұрын
That's just a preamp with a built in dac.
@hauxon
4 жыл бұрын
Exactly ...or a dac with built in preamp depending on how you choose to look at it :)
@akeelshah7904
4 жыл бұрын
Oooh issit so instead of saving for a preamp I should just save for a good dac
@davidfreeman4625
4 жыл бұрын
@@akeelshah7904 Only if that DAC has as many inputs as you need, a selector, and a volume control. Not all do!
@wilcalint
6 жыл бұрын
I see the Preamp function only getting more complex and in need of a separate box from the Amplifier. I also see the Preamp control becoming more an app on a tablet, (laptop) computer or Smartphone. The preamp won't even have real controls or a display. My receiver has a LAN feature where I can control it from all of the above. That, IMO, is where preamps are going.
@joshua43214
6 жыл бұрын
solid state volume control has many issues with distortion.
@wilcalint
6 жыл бұрын
joshua43214 Good point. Several designs over the years included a digitally controlled servo-ed analog pot. If my memory serves me right at least two preamps have featured such a thing. Not saying they were any good but they did exist.
@jonathansturm4163
6 жыл бұрын
"solid state volume control has many issues with distortion" I certainly found that to be the case with Linux Mint as the source. The volume control was effectively a way to vary distortion from very little, to a lot!
@benpit2762
5 жыл бұрын
Hi Paul, great stuff! I don’t know if you’ve already covered this topic in one of your awesome videos but I’d like to understand what is impedance and the relationship between the cartridge and the phono Preamp, haven’t found anything on the internet that explains like I were 10 years old. I heard that some phono stages have an option to change the impedance from 100ohm to 800ohm and choosing a higher setting would output a better musical experience? Thanks.
@moonlight-kh6uz
5 жыл бұрын
What about dual-mono designs where everything is separate within the same box? And what about those DACs that have volume control e.g. Esoteric K01 or MSB Analog DAC? Wouldn't that save many bucks while achieving the same level of bang?
@danbalkey2580
3 жыл бұрын
Ok now Iam really confused. Paul made fun of CD player that they are old and nobody used them anymore. How is everyone listen to music turntable only now or streaming off a phone ? Iam going to up grade everything what do I start with power or speakers. What come first ? Thanks
@wtfcomments2585
5 жыл бұрын
i use preamp for my powerd studio monitors because i can source select and control volume with a remote
@carravagio16
2 жыл бұрын
I hear what your selling paul, but i dont think the difference is as great as you make it to be. IMO the true value is in a good intergraded amp say something like the Arcam models
@PhortyZips
5 жыл бұрын
"BIG ASS TRANSFORMER" *chokes on water
@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120
5 жыл бұрын
Pioneer was the first in audio componet separates Paul big fan here but Pioneer was kicking butt for the longest their elite version for the money was hard to beat and their HPM 100 speakers were amazing back in the 70s they killed the L-100 jbl lol I use to instal home systems for rich people and even they didn't buy into hype they always had either Pioneer sometimes Yamaha truth
@thomasyamaguchi6434
Жыл бұрын
Hey tks for that one!
@suprgx472
3 жыл бұрын
What about dac preamps? I'm using a emotiva xda-2 and am very happy with it.
@Wacoal34d
6 жыл бұрын
Good! You answered the question for once. Pity that all of your bits do not achieve that goal.
@hendryparman3782
5 жыл бұрын
No, I need a preamplifier because i have 2 power amplifier and want to change between those 2 power amplifier. Uselly is a separate preamplifier technically better than a built in pre-amp.
@vinniemorciglio4632
6 жыл бұрын
Phonograph - 1920's, Reel to Reel - early 50's, Cassettes - mid 60's, as far as being relevant to HiFi. 8 Track doesn't count, LOL. Separates were the norm for many years in the 50's, Fishers, McIntosh, etc. were renown, but expensive. When Kits (Heathkit, Dynakit, H/K) started to be prevalent for aficionados who maybe needed to be on a budget, to build, the movement to greater fidelity was in the mainstream.
@hitmakersmastering7294
3 жыл бұрын
Hi there ... great explanation! I´m still trying to find an solution to my problem. Perhaps you could give me a light: I have a pair o B&W 802 Nautilus driven by a spectral audio dma100s (no pre amp). problem is I have hiss coming out of my tweeters. cabling is very good! current has been cleaned twice... a quicklok and a furma. I also use an isolation transformer prior to everything. Best regards from Perú
@LMSILVIA
5 жыл бұрын
Why separates? Why sell 1 piece for 800$ that can do all when you can sell 2 or 3 for 500$ each?
@ryanray6215
6 жыл бұрын
Okay , I got a preamp , an amp , but where is the afteramp ???
@jonathansturm4163
6 жыл бұрын
"where is the afteramp ?" Betwixt thine ears of course.
@yambo59
2 жыл бұрын
What I dont understand is why that big preamp youre showing needs such a huge transformer etc, that thing looks like an amplifier with that huge transformer - I didnt think a preamplifier needed all the high power gear, I thought that high power stuff was in the amplifier-??
@dylancoulbeck7483
5 жыл бұрын
when I see AUX Amplitude Gain : 6 dB does this mean it only gains up to 6db in volume? or is there something else different to what that mean?
@ar_xiv
4 жыл бұрын
0 db is line level, which is the loudest signal you can send to a power amp (really really loud, possibly damaging to speakers / ears). This doesn't correspond to the decibels heard, but rather the maximum decibels the speaker/amp combo can produce subtracted by the volume level. The volume knob on a preamp's main job is to reduce the volume of a signal rather than add to it. This is why some receivers display the volume level in negative numbers. 6db of gain would be just to boost a quiet signal (by up to about 4x I think). Shouldn't be necessary in most cases, and introduces high likelyhood of distortion. I might be wrong about your context however.
@drubradley8821
6 жыл бұрын
So, does the power amp still become the master volume controller? Example, turning up & down an mute, while watching a movie.
@joshua43214
6 жыл бұрын
The power amp typically has only a power button and nothing more. It does nothing more than increase the input factor by whatever it's gain is. In other words, if it has a gain of 50, it will amplify a 2dB input signal to 100dB. You adjust the volume at the pre-amp stage with a variable resistor (a pot) because (amongst other things) the power is much lower.
@Enemji
6 жыл бұрын
So if I understand right, the power amplifier provides a constant amplification factor whereas the preamp manipulates the volume at a low line level. Is that correct?
@cbcdesign001
5 жыл бұрын
Yep that's about it.
@sunburst3353
4 жыл бұрын
There ARE people who need a preamp! Preamps are not required for everyone or anyone but for people who understand what they can be used for. I have a requirement for a preamp which will interface different sources and destinations, has headphone outputs, but does not include speaker outputs. Most amps have speaker outputs which need to be connected.
@sosonic12000
3 жыл бұрын
I think it's good for the purists out there but on sound comparison the difference is great if you have extra sensory hearing capabilities of an owl then this difference is noticeable and will warrant such expenditure. However, if your hearing is more like mine and that of a naked mole rat (not so great!) then it's probably not worth that expenditure, for such negligible improvement in sound quality.... Just my humble thoughts and I'm no expert....Great explanation though....
@djdacdb
6 жыл бұрын
I don´t have an pre-amp when listening on stereo, sending digital signal straight to dsp/active crossover and then to DAC and amps.
@djdacdb
6 жыл бұрын
Sherloid Bai Sending from windows so controling it from there.
@haberdasherrykr8886
2 жыл бұрын
Need v/s nice to have
@LORDwilliamsDJ
5 жыл бұрын
what a nice bloke
@CeeStyleDj
4 жыл бұрын
Oh man.. I don't want to have to start all over from scratch :-( lol
@indopleaser
6 жыл бұрын
what if you have an good integrated amp with line out. and you dont use the speaker outputs. you use the line out to a separate amp?
@hifismiffy
2 жыл бұрын
Certainly you can do that. If your amplifier's line out goes through the volume control, you can feed that into a power amp. You need to be able to adjust the volume or the power amp would be blasting out music at maximum volume from the source.
@phillipjohnson7583
5 жыл бұрын
Simply put...isolation! Isolation! Isolation!
@LightBlazeMC
5 жыл бұрын
awesome channel, i subbed!
@crashtech66
5 жыл бұрын
So was it Paul & Stan Audio, or Phono Stage Audio?
@Paulmcgowanpsaudio
5 жыл бұрын
Paul and Stan, but I love the idea of Phono Stage Audio! Thankfully we didn't call it that because eventually, we made everything else.
@crashtech66
5 жыл бұрын
@@Paulmcgowanpsaudio , yeah, I was being a bit tongue in cheek there, but actually did begin to wonder if there was a bit of double entendre there. :)
@corneliusantonius3108
5 жыл бұрын
Philips did it too ?
@dhpbear2
6 жыл бұрын
1:53 - An 'integrated amp' is a preamp with an built-in power amp, NOT a power amp with a built-in preamp! :)
@jonathansturm4163
6 жыл бұрын
A power amp with a built-in preamp definitely won't work. The electrons get all confused!
@muttech16
6 жыл бұрын
Can we use separate preamp with integrated amp? I mean can we bypass the preamp on the integrated amp and use separate preamp instead?
@juliaset751
6 жыл бұрын
Some integrated amps have an in/out loop that allows you to separate the preamp and amp. So you could use the preamp or power amp sections separately.
@jimmyburress3208
6 жыл бұрын
Some integrated amps have jumpers in the back
@muttech16
6 жыл бұрын
Thank u guys..but what about performance and SQ? Will it be the same as powering the preamp with separate power amp?
@juliaset751
6 жыл бұрын
As Paul pointed out: SQ will usually not be as good with integrated as with separates. Integrated has a cost advantage, separate has a SQ advantage.
@muttech16
6 жыл бұрын
@@juliaset751 yeah..thats what i thought...thanks..now i can start hunting for good,cheap,2nd hand preamp 😄 lol
@cheffskitchen
5 жыл бұрын
HOW MUCH COST PRE AMP
@ok4486
5 жыл бұрын
Great Paul
@tknylife
2 жыл бұрын
A+
@errolallen5007
8 ай бұрын
Separates sound better because they flow free😂😂😂😂😂
@WS-gs6sf
5 жыл бұрын
I use a $200 Mackie mixer. Does way more than any pre-amp and sounds way better than you'd think.
@ranaji1431
Жыл бұрын
From 🇮🇳 please tell usabout sn ratio
@Frank_42
5 жыл бұрын
As Doctor Evil put it, "You don't get it. You just don't get it!"
@michaeledwards3578
2 жыл бұрын
More bass and treble
@vamvra5498
4 жыл бұрын
Basically we will - if you want to - sell you one more box.
@1972OGTony
5 жыл бұрын
Clean gain is the short answer.
@Finn-McCool
4 жыл бұрын
Why sell you a Big Mac for $2.00 when we can sell you Two all beef patties $1 Special sauce $.50 Lettuce $.10 Cheese $1 Pickles $.5 Onions $.5 Sesame see bun $1 And call it "better" while gaining $4.60 on the sale? Not to mention the DAC (French fries) And the mono block (Coke)
@thuhreb
4 жыл бұрын
but if you shopped around for the best of each of those ingredients, you'd put mcdonalds' version to shame.
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