what is the difference between pre-amp and amplifier? (1 Viewer)

[felix_suwarno]

these terms are confusing me.

separates

pre-amps

pre-pro

amplifier

i was looking at outlaw 950 picture. i thought it was an amplifier. but i saw "preamp / processor" written on the face plate.

what does that mean?

thanks in adv

 

[Cees Alons]

Felix,
Signals come from a source (CD player, DVD player, VHS player), then go to a pre-amplifier to get some corrections and make it standard (also may have treble and bass regulated). Then go to a processor to have it divided for multichannel output, then go to (power-) amplifiers to produce power (voltage times current), then can drive a speaker.
If the pre-amplifier and the amplifiers are combined (with a processor too) it's called a receiver. Therefore, if the power-amplifiers are not all inside a receiver, that's called separates.
In the old days, when multi-channel audio (except stereo) wasn't common (at least not the "coded" form), you had integrated amplifiers - of course they still exist, there are many audio freaks around - meaning the pre-amp and the power-amp were together, and generally two of them to form a stereo combination.
Cees

 

[felix_suwarno]

thanks a lot for your time to write that explanation.