Bypassing Amp-Question for Robert Harley
cerrot -- Tue, 01/19/2010 - 06:06
Robert,
TAS has made two references (BADA and dCS Puccinni) that auditioners/owners should try hooinng up the digital sources directly to amps. I have done this with my SACD player (Esoteric X03SE balanced out was overloading my Innersound Preamp). The change has been incredible.
My question is, when you pracitce this - or suggest it - what do you do with the other sources (Tuner, Phono Peamp, etc)? I am changing cables into the amp. Is this what your intention is?
Please let me know your thoughts. I am going to audition an ARC LS26 but can't believe it would make the system sount btter-than the SACD player direct to amp.
Thanks for your time.
Dennis
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...anyone bypassing a preamp?
Check with ARC to ensure your digital won't overload the LS-26.
Bypassing a preamp is useful to assess the sound quality of the preamp in question, or to hear the full quality of a digital source. It's not a practical alternative for day-to-day listening unless the digital source that's driving the power amplifier has multiple inputs, source switching, and a variable output (such as the Esoteric SA-50 CD/SACD player).
I'm thinking the solution is to find a pre-amp that has a home theater by-pass. Ideally, it would just route the input to the output without going through any other internal circuitry. Not sure if this exists though. I suspect most go through the regular circuits with zero gain.
The temporary solution that I am using right now is to have the DAC go into the balanced input of my amplifier and the pre-amp go into the single ended input. I then set the switch on the back of the amplifier depending on which source I am using. (Pain in the butt, I know.) Since my phono pre-amp is single-ended, I decided to run the pre-amp into the single ended rather than the DAC. I guess it depends on which sound is the most important to you: the DAC or the other souces. The only other thing I have going through the pre-amp is my tuner which is run balanced, but I figured I wasn't losing that much going single-ended at the next stage.
Thanks. Not sure if I want to spend $6k for a preamp-for convenience. CD just sounds sooo GOOD direct to amp. Total audio nirvana.
I used to have an ARC Ref 3 and the EMM Labs CDSA CD/SACD player. I replaced both with the Puccini CD/SACD player(and U-clock) driving my power amps directly. The sound is way, way better than through the ARC pre-amp - quite a revelation!
Jon2020's comment is interesting; it's amazing how even the best preamplifiers degrade the sound. I've been going preamplifier-less with digital sources (Berkeley Alpha DAC and dCS Puccini/U-Clock) and there's no going back. Of course, I have to switch back to the preamp for phono and other sources, but it's worth it, particularly with high-res material.
I am finding it difficult to go back to putting a preamp in the line as well. My amps are on the floor so easy enough to switch cables. I will try my phonostage direct into my amp as well to see what that gets me where I want to go (it actually goes into an active crossover with a level control so I have volume-by remote). I was reading up on passive preamps. Wonder if that will give me what I am looking for.
Passive "preamplifiers" introduce a problem not encountered by a source device that is designed to drive a power amplifier, and that has a variable output (volume control). The passive device's output impedance varies with the volume setting, and could create problems with some source/amplifier/cable combinations. In my experience, passive level controls are transparent, but reduce dynamics and bass authority.
Thank you, Robert. I really appreciate the time. (Actually, it was the Puccni review in TAS which prompted me to connect the cd player direct to amp and it has been incredible; my system sounds like the best I have auditioned). I read about the lack of dynamics and bass authority (and impedance issues) in passive preamps but I have also read about the newer passives, basically Bent Audio and Music First, and the reviews claim that those issues aren't applicable. Have you had any experience with those models?
I haven't tried a passive level control in my system for many years. I'd be interested to know how the newer passive level controls get around their technical limitations. Today's preamplifiers are much more transparent than when I regularly used a passive level control (early 1990s).