A question on by-passing the preamp ... (1 Viewer)

[Shion_ca]

Is it possible to directly feed the analog output RCA jacks directly into an amplifier? Of course you wouldn't get base or trebble control, but I nomrally don't use them anyway. So what would be the detriment from running directly from my CD player to my amp in this case if at all possible?

 

[Saurav]

You'd also lose the ability to control volume, wouldn't you? You'd always be listening at full volume. Other than that, sonically it should be better - if your CD player can drive your amps (and it should be able to), removing a component in the chain can only improve things.

Some CD players have a volume control, but many do it digitally, i.e. they strip off bits from the digital data when you 'reduce the volume'. This is not a good thing, because you're losing information and resolution, so if that's how your CD player works (mine is that way), you probably should have a preamp. If your CD player has an analog volume control of good quality, or your amp has a volume control of good quality, that would be better than using a preamp, IMO.

Of course, this also assumes that you only have one source, the CD player.

 

[Geno]

I had gone straight from my dvd's 6 analog outputs directly into my 5 channel amp [i dont have a sub hooked up yet].
In the back of my amp are 5 potentiometers that control volume. you have to adjust them with eyeglasses screwdrivers so volume control is not fun. anyway, I got sick of that because there just was no control. I then built myself a passive preamp but I did not invest in a good 6 layered volume control. So Finally, I went to www.midiland.com and bought thier ADS 4000. Although
Saurav says that the digital way is not the best, I did not want to spend 600 on a decent receiver with pre-outs just for the volume control. I havent played with the ADS 4000 yet but I will write a little review for it.

 

[Saurav]

A passive linestage is a great idea in a situation like this. I'm using a passive too, and since my rig is 2-channel, it was much easier for me to buy the parts needed to build my linestage I've seen some of the Elma 6-channel volume controls, those look really expensive.