I really love the topics and explanations that you talk about. As someone that's try to learn about hifis and how all the bits fit together these videos have been really helpful.

Love your explanation and enthusiasm ... thank you!

You’ll be happy to know your good at these shows .thank you for the knowledge

Sometimes KZread recommends some good stuff, glad it did here. I plan to learn a lot from this channel now that I'm a bit older and less impressed with "loud" and more impressed with clarity and resolution. Hearing things in old recordings I've never noticed. Subscribed.

@michaelwright1602

5 жыл бұрын

Speakers... Grounding... Hard to find a good one.

@LunaticTheCat

3 жыл бұрын

This channel is absolute gold. They are some of the best of the best to do it.

I used a highly regarded passive preamp for several years, then borrowed a BAT preamp from a dealer. The sound improvement was so great, I bought it. When I went to a separate DAC (Benchmark) which had a headphone amp, I tried using it direct to the power amps, but the stereo image shrank to half size, so I put the preamp back.

I have heard sound systems that made me feel like I was In the studio. I agree with anything that brings that experience closer to my audience. (Ray Charles)

I respect such elegant explanations. I always wondered why can't I feed a power amp directly through DAC, which never sounded better than with a high-end preamp. Thanks.

yes they do and expensive it is especially when recording along with mics and convertors, all in one unit the prism lyra

I have a pioneer set to 3/4 volume going into a eq then a line driver. The output from the line driver enables me to have the gain down all the way on my amp which also helps my amp work less and have wetter bass = sound quality skyrockets. For only 600wrms on 1 ct sounds 18 she gets down. even if you have a aftermarket head unit (a preamp/line driver is a must in my opinion)

Hey Paul. I Love your channel! I know it’s all subjective and there is so many variables involved when it comes to picking out components. I’ve been putting my 2 channel system together for almost 20 years now. Based on budget I’ve taken my time to put it together. I have a Krell KSL preamp and Oppo. HA-1 dac ( not a big headphone listener although I have a pair of HiFiman headphones). I’m using an old Proceed amp 2 and Dali Grand Coupe speakers with a Marsntz 8004 and Music Hall mmf 7 with Jolida JD9. The funny thing is that my wiring which is all Siltech and Nordost is worth almost as much as the gear. My problem is that I hate the volume control on the Krell. It drives me crazy. It needs to be played loud in order to sound good. Also no remote or digital setting. Do you think if I sell off my Krell and Oppo, and purchase the Stellsr Gain Cell, it will work out for me? I have Tidal HiFi.

i love my preamp, the onkyo p304. i always thought it simply directed signal. thanks for sharing the knowledge

Hey i have just subscribed to your channel ! I im allways up for learning and you have some interesting content on your channel :D greetings from Puerto Rico!!

This guy is a national treasure... 👍

@pepeonzima2444

5 жыл бұрын

This guy is a national scammer... 👍

@marianogigahertz9212

5 жыл бұрын

@@pepeonzima2444 Why?

@terrysummer1336

4 жыл бұрын

What is wrong in your mind that motivates you to make such a slanderous comment? What are your credentials Pepe? Could you please link us to your audio videos?

@Cypeq

4 жыл бұрын

PS Audio equipment is in monetary value range where one could question the price to value... and they are making that 1000$ power cable.

@Cypeq

4 жыл бұрын

Just shading some light on to why one could make such comment, as PS Audio does dabble into more 'questionable' audiophile power technology... along with their no doubt quality audio hardware.

Every single time I have a question about audio, I Google it, and end up watching one of your videos. Thank you for what you do for us audiophiles! In this case, I had answered my own question and just wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy. My story: For several years I had been using a Universal Disc Player, which has a digital preamp, as a source in my A/V system, and running it straight into a power amp. It sounded ok, but truly lacked pizazz. A few days ago I decided to put an old headphone amp (from another system) between the two, and the results were absolutely astonishing. It was actually just dumb luck; the headphone amp I am now using as a preamp is Class A, balanced, with XLR inputs and outputs. So yes, preamps can make a HUGE difference. But as everybody knows, it all depends . . . .

Thank you for a great video! Question is, I have an Audio-Tenhnica at-pl120 usb turntable with preamp connected to my Klipsch the sixes powered. Can I add a preamp between them for enhanced sound? Also, would you recommend tube amps?

On a hybrid set up, would you use the monitor outs on the console or on the focusrite 18i20... Question number two how could I set up my patch bay for both options. Thank you for your time

Totally agree on the need for a good pre-amp. Back in the late 80s/early 90s, there was a push for passive preamps. I came close to building one until I heard one demo'd at CES. It sounded dull... A good pre-amp provides a vital gain stage to the signal, especially in analogue.

Wow that explanation seals the deal Mr. Paul always explains it better, thanks

Hi Paul, you are the best presenter for amplification choices ever. Wonderful!

I wonder how much of the difference between preamps and between preamp/preamp-less can be attributed to level matching. I have definitely seen different results putting my CD player line outs through aux inputs of a vintage luxman receiver vs putting a pre-attenuated signal through. Turns out the input sensitivity was 150mV. Similarly, if using a separate power amp and either the Luxman or a Benchmark DAC1 PRE as preamp, the full level signal sounded better to me going through the Benchmark (which has higher max input level).

Hello I just came across your channel it’s very informative. Hope you can assist me. I was wondering if there was any small preamp that you would recommend using for shooting videos with a Dslr. I currently have a Tascam DR60 however I would like to get something much smaller so I can travel more freely with thanks.

Great insights - thank you

Hello Paul. Thanks for the video. What tubes preamps would you recomend under 2k?

hello, what rosewood speakers are those behind you?

I think of a preamp as a control and buffer stage. If you have multiple sources and they have varying output levels you need something that can handle the switching and amplification requirements. Also some sources have high impedance outputs that are not suited to cable capacitance that you see if you have the power amp at any distance from your sources. I've had a Conrad Johnson PV-10a in my system for close to 20 years now. My sources are a turntable, cd player, tuner and a DAC that is fed by my iMac with a toslink cable. The preamp feeds a musical concepts modified Haffler d220 amp. With the exception of the Shiit DAC this is an old system but it's capable of very good sound with good source material. I repair all my equipment myself and the circuitry of the preamp is stunningly simple, a single triode stage for the line level and another for the phono section. The components used are all very good, I've changed the tubes 3 or 4 times since I bought it used. I used to repair tektrpnix qscilloscopes so I know properly designed tube equipment is very long lived

I agree with him. A really good preamp is a game changer. I have a AVA hifi preamp and it is tube. The sound off it is wonderful

Easy and understandable , Thanks Paul🤍

Paul in your discussion today you said ok to using the preamp where (inputs) would i place your dac? thank you dave Gongwer Duluth,Minn.

Pretty general question. Answer is yes and no, depending on the preamp. My preamp is a homebrew 76 triode tube with a 6688 tube as a current source. I keep it's volume at 10 and use the Kimmel Mu Stage fed 6550 amps volume control. It sounds harmonically rich and ever so dynamic with digital sources. For cassette and vinyl I use the preamps volume control. Loves me some 2nd order harmonic harmonics at over 100 dB. Only for short sessions though. Then the volume goes back to 80dB or so.

Nice video, just one question. I just bought a 2.1 sound system with a built in amp, the sound is great when I play music from my note 9 through bluetooth that has aptx and atmos built in, but when I play something from the tv (lg oled c6) connected through optical audio cable the sound is not that good especially the sound separation. What can I do so the sound thats coming from the tv will be as good as the one from the phone?

I have found the same thing. I even owned some older PS Audio preamps with the "straight line" option (5.5, 6.0), and preferred it with the line stage engaged. I'm pretty sure that it all comes down to impedance matching, and the inability of the source component's line output to drive some cables and power amp inputs effectively, especially when buffered by the passive volume pot. Impedance matching is one of those topics that too often gets ignored in high end audio.

@gregj.gotham4402

2 жыл бұрын

Another gotham here

That confirms it, buying one next week. I do however have a question I will be using an RCA mixer in the main channel along with the RCA going to the back of the stereo The stereo has an aux cable at the front and was having issues with a Bluetooth audio transmitter, can't quite describe the sound but it was nothing like plugging an aux cable in Worst case I could use an audio device switch. But that might impact the sound quality

Yall just came out with the fr 30!!!!! Congrats

Paul now you have carte blanche, does the PCA-2 pre amp (w/out external power supply) sound as good or better than a Bryston BP-25 or Benchmark DAC1 driving an amp directly? Asking for a friend who doesn't want to make a lateral move on this.

I got other questions relate to this. For instance, I use my computer to feed my DAC which has optional pre-amp. Should I active/de-active when I use the xlr cables to feed my Dynaudio active speaker? If I don't use the pre-amp, I have to control the volume in my computer through software. Which way is better? Or in general, I am quite confuse about the software volume control.

My A&H v6 valve preamp is everything to my sound, great analysis and turnaround story! I wonder if this extends to their use within amps themselves. I know in the olden days you would have PA systems with all valve amps, preamps, i can only imagine

Great quality information Paul, appreciate it!

I'm relatively new to tube amps. Just got a Yaqin MC84l. I noticed how holographic it is and how airy and spacious it sounds. I am noticing the mid bass is balanced but seems to drop off around 100hz. Not sure if this is the amplifier being at its limit, or if the tubes being rolled may help. My question is, which side should I try first. Preamp side, or Power side? Which do you think makes the biggest difference in sound?

Thanks for the tip. I have a question on this topic. Does a portable preamp exist which is battery powered and up to your level of quality?

Subscribed. Gotta support our fellow audiophiles.

Is the usb sound card mic input has a preamp? Will adding preamp improve the sound of the mic input?

Very very valuable advice. Thanks for this very precious video. I would like to add that digital sources exacerbate the issue of preamps and tubes in particular. LPs can sound quite good also with a complete solid state system. Instead with digital sources tubes provide that sense of space that fully solid state rigs have difficulties in providing. I have a feeling. It depends on how the solid state units are designed. But i am not an expert at all. Thanks again and best regards, gino

Besides convenience and amplification, a preamp often solves impedance related issues , like capacitor coupled connections with high output impedance and low input impedance resulting in poor frequency response.

If synergy is the goal I've successfully experimented with different combinations. My current best of is an Audio Research LS10 SE into my Luxman M900u. It's a fully balanced system from ARC CD player CD9 ref to speakers. The cd player is tube output, and all solid state preamp/poweramp have delivered the results that Paul speaks of, just gorgeous punch and soundstage from 2x 12" woofers to horn mids enhanced by super tweeters. It's a dream system. Synergy. Experiment. Listen and enjoy.

Paul. Thank you for the info. I am starting my journey into the stereo and theater sound world. At this time most money is going elsewhere, like education and collecting guitars, so I find myself starting modestly with perhaps "non" audiophile products. For example, I am considering investing in an Emotiva Amp, preamp, DAC system. Curious how you (or anyone reading) would regard this company. My long term goal is to invest cash in McIntosh Audio Systems, they are really big around where I live. I don't have many places to choose from, and the ones that are around here stock themselves with McIntosh, NAD, Anthem and Parasound. Peace.

so Paul, how to identify 3 preamps in $800 to $1600 to evaluate & buy. I cant find many comparisons of better preamps. Have 1850 Ati amp, 180 watts per channel, 5 channels driven from 2003. My ead (enlightened audio design) 2001preamp seems faulty, it lately only runs the 2 front channels. My equipment was bought used in 2001 on audiogon, so I spent much less than the selling price of the ead/ati combo. But cant find good evaluations for a resonably priced, but good quality preamp

I have watched several of your posts regarding audio, and you are obviously very knowledgeable. I have a Marantz 2230 I was using as a pre-amp to my NAD power amp, a CD player, and KEF speakers. This system sounded good, but after awhile decided to purchase a Pro-Ject turntable which requires a phono pre-amp, a Sonos Port for streaming, and still using the NAD C268 power amp. As a somewhat new convert to using separates (vs. the integrated, turntable, CD set-up I had prior) I am finding that understanding and learning how to connect each component can be confusing. Are there videos you (or others) do that show visually how (and why) connections between components look?

Thank you! i was just wondering if that would make a difference, im making a handmade Bluetooth speaker and i went for ever to find a good amp for it, so i came across a TDA7492 (It's a D class amplifier), this one has a NE5532 pre amp on it. For what i investigated the NE5532 it's from philips and it's used on motherboards for the audio card that is mounted on board, and sounds pretty nice i would say, (for something that comes with a computer), so this clarifies me a lot of things, thank you.

Thansk for the houston shout out

20 year ago I selling and set up PS audio's Amplifier, And now we learn more about it from the founder !

Yes a good preamp just sounds more real and yes a tube preamp is much more likely to give you that big open soundstage and more holographic /room filling sound.I have heard that time and again with Supratek preamps for example.I remember hearing one of them inserted into a very good system using Magico speakers and Audio Flight Strumento pre and power amps and the difference it made was huge-from sounding good to sounding wonderful.And the Supratek was about a third the price of the Audio Flight SS preamp.

Hi , even if I have a integrated tube amp do you think a tube pre will make a difference? Thanks

The answer is definitely yes! Today ,we back to the vinyle support and most audiophile have not any experience we gain during the golden age from the seventies to the eighties...it was the period of the analogue audio... At the first stage, the stereo monitoring of the recording involving the respect of the phasing in acoustic was allowing to highlight the sensivity of and treatment of the analogic source without any strong signal compression as we do today! We lost both culture and know how as well! The preamp according to Lew Johnson (CJ) is the most difficult element to achieve audio electronic componant... As a result a good preamp unit is bringing music space, soundstage, respect of the dynamic and the rythm to be as well as matters.. As measure we developp numeric technology only fews companies have been involved by the preamp unit interest.... So the listening session in the seventies and heighties of the preamp competition between audio research,Conrad johnson, Mark Levinson have shown the sound difference between these units... The situation was similar for the turntable! The feed back experience is poor today,Thank you Paul to remind us the reality... Raymond (from from Blois France)

You are God of the music info thank you

Is there any point of putting an tube preamp between the LP and a analog to digital converter on a pre-amp?

I have ART MPA gold for pre .... which tube you recommended for change to record instruments?? It use 12ax7/ECC83 ✌✌✌ thxxx cheers ✌

if you had a choice of tubes for a preamp what model would you likely choose?

I like tube preamps mixed with solid state power amplifiers. When you have tubes in both power amp and preamp the sound becomes too pillowy for my taste.

@M0D60

3 жыл бұрын

Never heard "pillowy" before. But as a New tubes fan, I understand. All tubes for Me.

The AT LP60X has a built in preamp. Can you preamp the preamp? Meaning using the phono inputs?

Im Jade from the Philippines.. Do you prefer a wireless mic or wired mics? FOR EXAMPLE, for main vocals on a live concert set up.. Thank you Sir and Happy new year.. God bless

I have a Rotel RB-980 BX power amp and an old Hafler pre-amp. I switched my pre-amp out with an Adcom GFP-1 and WOW! What a difference! My Monitor Audio Silver 300's came to life! So, yes, in my case a better pre-amp SURE enhanced the sound.

@jackfranks7160

5 жыл бұрын

With what source though?

So if I move the pre-amp into the PA, does that still make it a pre-amp? Or will someone want to add another preamp?

I've got a PS Audio 6.1 preamplifier. The active stage seems to have blown out, and it gives a nasty sustained shock when touching the chassis, even when in passive mode ("straightwire" or "bypass"). Advice? AC voltage measures 0.1v between the ground of the power connector, and my outlet's ground, the 6.1 being plugged in and on. Yikes! Resistance measures about 0.8 ohms, when I contact one multimeter prong to the 6.1's power-in ground, and the other prong to chassis ground. Transformer? Capacitor? HELP!

I've done the audiophile-unthinkable... and it sounds better. 🙂 I have electrostatic hybrids and an integrated amplifier. I was very happy with the sound but the amp has very "soft" tone controls, and where I listen at modest levels it needed a fair boost in the low end and more "air" in the high end. The other issue was, despite glorious detail, there was next to no front to back imaging. In my studio I had a small mixer - the type a band might use. It has nice preamps built in and EQ knobs at 100hz, 2500, and 10,000. Very clean... very musical. I ran my CD player into the mixer then into the amp. I've added 3 db bass and treble and 1.5 at 2500. The impact in sound quality is amazing, especially when listening at 75-85db levels. Bigger, warmer low end, nice air and high end detail and improved clarity in the vocal range. ( I set the amp to bypass it's own tone controls) And I'd swear the front to back imaging has improved. I've always subscribed to the straight path concept but I'm thinking that "clean" isn't the end all / be all. When you think about it, a mastered song is a finished song with more tone and compression effects put in between the band and the listener. Technically there's a contamination of purity but that doesn't change the fact that a mastered track is much more pleasing to the ear. That's how I'm thinking of my setup. The system is being mastered AKA tailored to my room and listening levels. It is clearly a more enjoyable listening experience. I'd suggest others try this in the same situation. Very good, small mixers can be purchased for under $200. Just make sure it's an UNpowered mixer and you use the volume output responsibly. Thanks

Could a Schiit Magni 3 Heresy be a good pre amp?

So, what you're saying is that a preamplifier that perhaps slightly colours the sound might improve the way a system sounds. I must say that I agree. Graphic equalisers are an excellent example of that, but only if correctly implemented.

I want to turn my 5.1 home theatre to a simple 2.1 system with only 1 source, that is my T.V. (LG UF7300) My speakers are Klipsch RF3. What should I buy? DAC and SS amp? passive pre amp and tube amp?

I still use one of your phono stages with pasive Pre.

Can I connect Edifier R1280T to my Yamaha A/V receiver?

Are you saying by adding a bit of tube sound (reverb micro phonics) from a preamp that has just the right blend of this distortion it will enhance the sound? Maybe you could add a knob to your preamp to "dial in" the amount of "enhancement". Call it the "E Factor" adjustment. It would go from dry sterile low distortion to smooth liquid rubber tube sound.

I discovered similar, Paul. I own a collection of passive preamps, some with switchable inputs. Then I decided to build (via a kit) an active preamp based on a Mark Levinson preamp mkll design. Though some components had to be sourced from Europe as well as the USA (including some recycled caps) to get it as right as possible. I didn’t expect anything to work let alone sound good. After a short warmup, I thought something was wrong as I could hear what seemed like ‘strange harmonics’ deep in familiar recordings. Then I realised my mistake. What I was hearing was greater resolution. I was hearing details in the upper mids and extreme highs that I’d never noticed before. Only three inputs, but that’s enough for most of my listening. It has no phono preamp so I connected (for vinyl use) a schiit mani phono preamp (don’t underestimate this little guy as it sounds very high end with cartridges up to £1000) And once again, everything seemed better. Only problem is (from an audiophile purest point of view) are we hearing added character or the truth? Being able to test things in a studio environment, I can say it’s a little of both. In the studio, various preamps are used from the mic’s to the 24bit digital desk which uses class A preamps with a huge 130dB of dynamics. It will also have a combo of hardware/software plugins adding EQ and various Effects (in moderation) Very few recordings are ‘true’ audiophile inspired, sadly.

@tfaber9394

6 жыл бұрын

Excellent. We want you to hear every pin drop. Like you were there.

@thomprd

6 жыл бұрын

My Schiit Saga preamp added a tremendous amount to my system. Also, for multi-amp configuration, having the two sets of pre-outs seems a lot better than trying to Y-off my outputs from my DAC.

@GrassFed67

5 жыл бұрын

cableaddict Yeah, it sounds better because it's coloring the sound in a pleasant way. It's not allowing you to hear greater detail, it's bringing out harmonics because it's saturating the signal. Distortion can be great, but it's altering the sound, not somehow adding clarity.

Before even watching the video, YES. I just ran 2A3 mono blocks with their own volume knobs. Very short signal path. I then tried them with a Sonic Frontiers SPL-2 as good a preamp as has ever been made. The dynamics were better, and the sound stage was bigger. Trust your ears , sometimes the short path logic is proven wrong.

A very convenient feature of the Aesthetix Calypso is the existence of a remote controlled "Phase" switch. Some audiophiles state that they are unable to distinguish when a recording is being played back in proper phase, but for those that are sensitive to it, the Calypso provides a valuable control which is not a feature of all that many pre-amps and certainly not many DAC's.

Can I use my laptops amf as preamp for my Fiio K5 amp?

From a reggae sound system perspective, the pre amp makes the sound!

@TheoHyatt

4 жыл бұрын

Supercar Dave 🇯🇲 facts

@RGE_Music

3 жыл бұрын

broo thank you! I make reggae music and this is everything I needed to hear! Do you recommend any pre amps for reggae??

@HealerTheMaroon

3 жыл бұрын

What preamp did the Original Reggae artist use. And do you make real reggae or that foreign main stream studio mess.

my preamps down at present and im now listening to the dac only. it appears that the dac makes for a better image and throws the sound around better.the bhk pre sounds better than the bhk dac but it sounds like its taking something away from the dac's image / sound when its inline. anyone else come across this?

Paul what do you think of the McIntosh C15 vs the C2500?

You should probably distinguish between the pre-amplification necessary for bringing up the signal level of a phono cartridge from a piece of a volt to signal level equivalent to the output of a CD player or other device, and on the other hand, simple attenuation/adjustment of the signal level of a CD player. The phono input is subjected to whatever the quality of that pre-amplification circuit, whereas the CD input is not. Having said that, the preamp, or what I like to call the control device, may or may not have an audible effect on sound quality for those devices whose input is already at signal level and is simple selected for and sent on to the amplifier. I would love to hear your comments on this.

@sometimesreviewsandthinkin5056

6 жыл бұрын

Speaker Builder i have a very cheap preamp and a 30 k amp it sounds so good

@burtrossi559

6 жыл бұрын

Speaker Builder I

@BennieWilll

5 жыл бұрын

I agree, and microphone preamp. In many scenarios the preamp is what defines the sound not the amplifier.

Are you talking about preamp for hi fi applications or for something like recording a mic?

I have a preamp for my turntable simply because the phono in put in my receiver was decidedly inferior in terms of sound and output. I was about to get a new turntable, which may or may not have improved things but would not really solve the cause of the problem. So even though some components "take" a turntable, (phono) it is will not save you having to use one of your rca jacks if you end up having to get good sound out of your turntable (unless your turntable has a good built in preamp).

Generally, I also think that less is more in the case of preamps and equalizers. But I have a tube mono hi-fi preamp/AM-FM tuner I use when I want to listen to mono CDs or vinyl records. I use this preamp connected to my solid state stereo system. Audio is warmer in general and blues, jazz and other mono recordings sound better. For vinyl records, I use a Cambridge phono preamp connected to this preamp using an RCA Y-cable. Since, I'm adding a stage, it should cause Dynamic Range to be lower, but what I get is better audio overall. This preamp has the usual bass and treble controls and also four loundness settings as well. By the way, I haven't yet connected it to the mono tube power amp of the same brand and manufacturing year. It has four loudness settings as well.

Paul, I really very very much Love your RCA Mascot... I believe it's a Jack Russell breed. God bless.

I remain a big fan of the PS Audio 5.5 in totally passive mode. Thanks Paul!

I was using an integrated amp as a pre for years. It worked on standby, so I don't think it was doing anything other than connecting two signals through a volume control. Didn't detect a difference pre-less. Recently replace that with a dedicated pre and wow. Tighter and better controlled bass, more detail and dynamics and the instruments have more attack. Some signal gain too it seems.

@joebloggs8636

Жыл бұрын

NOW you are on the RIGHT track!

I like NAD preamps. I'd have one except that I live in an apartment and all the stereo I need is powered by a TubeCube 7, through a pair of Infinity 5 1/4" Kappa coaxials that I mounted in a custom made ported enclosure.

If your preamp is one brand and power amp is another, what sound is coming out, pre or power?

I am setting up a monoblock Red Dragon Amp to my AVR-2808CI. Never done this before, any advice wold be appreciated.

@chuckmaddison2924

4 жыл бұрын

Hi may I suggest the separate mono amps are put at the speaker and use longer coax leads from pre amp. Long speaker cable into low impedance speaker will / can result in voltage drop / power loss. The long leads from the pre amp may have a couple of ohms but are feeding a higher impedance. If you do the math you will find voltage distribution between cable and load ( amps input) is far better and nowhere near the problem of speaker cables. Capacitance is an issue yes and can reduce high frequency but at audio I don't think you could tell at RF can be obvious . Enjoy the music.

I prefer tone controls to enhance cymbal sounds and string tone. So treb and bass are needed.

@richardcarden4161

4 жыл бұрын

Then your system is not linear needing a boost at certain frequencies.

@M0D60

3 жыл бұрын

Good point. Simply.. personal taste

One thing i really like about your videos is your explanation in detail and one more thing is that small Dog statue ...probably resemble to HMV ...logo (His Master's Voice)...

Paul idk if you'll read this message , but I've owned lots of Preamps since 1988 I had a favorite 2 channel amp that I loved so much that I had 7 different preamps bought over time just for the amp it was a refined amp and the PreAmp to me matters as Much as the speakers most disagree with me but I believe finding the synergy between the PRe-Dac-amp-speakers I've never owned the quality of PS audio but I know if I could manage somehow one day I'd diffently want the PS audio Pre-Amp first

Whatdya think of the LA 601 MKii ?

Saturation and harmonics are what my ears love. For that reason I will choose preamps and processors that create that effect. Of course sometimes you want cleaner pres but even then a little electric juice always makes the signal sound nicer.

What about NAD 1155 PRE AMP?Is it good?Thanks!

Hi Paul it does a different job than an equalizer, what you just explained sounds like an equalizer, but I'm also thinking there's more if a preamp does that to music if you add an equalizer and a preamp what happens.

I have a question, if anybody would still read this. I have a pure vinyl based set up, with an integrated Yamaha receiver. Would the sound be better by putting a preamp within the circuit?

What was the preamp doing that made it sound nice? Was it giving you subharmonics? What was going on? Cheers. Ps your videos rule

Now the real question for me is, what would be the best low end preamp that could go into a scarlett 2i2 3rd generation, into MacBook into garage band that would make the recording more homogeneous and professional sounding.

Great video

My warm audio API clones sure as hell do! They are amazing

Very good answer Paul. Couldn’t agree with you more. Audiophiles have been taught to keep the single as simple and as clean as possible which would “in theory” mean no preamp in a digital system, but i agree digital sounds lifeless without a good preamp in the chain.