Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Pre-Amp vs. Amp

I've decided that my next equipment purchase will be a 2-channel amp probably between 150W - 200W per channel. I'm probably going to buy used as well. I currently have a Sony Reciever DE-545, will the amp work with this? How do they connect? What is the difference between a pre-amp and an amp...based on the name I would guess that a pre-amp would hook in between my components and my reciever amplifying the signal before it gets to my reciever. The amp would hook in between my reciever and speakers amplifying the signal from the reciever to the speakers. Am I close? Sorry for the flurry of questions.

rdwarn
you've got the basic premise of a preamp/amp hookup. The preamp is what you'd connect all your components to (dvd player/cd player/vcr/etc). You'd then send the signals to an external amp and on to your speakers. The connection you'd use between you're receiver and an external amp are regular RCA cable connectors. I'm not familiar with you're receiver, but you'll need to have at least 2 RCA outs that should be labelled "preouts" on the back of the receiver. So instead of hooking up speaker wire to the 2 speakers, you'd hook up the RCAs for those 2 speakers and connect it to the amp. Clear as mud???

rdwarn,

Sidvicious02 is correct. Your Sony must have pre-outs (RCA jacks for left and right front) in order for you to connect the Sony receiver to a separate power amplifier and still use the Sony's volume control to adjust the volume (it varies the voltage of the pre-out signal).

The preamp is built into your Sony receiver. It represents the control section of the receiver and also preamplifies lower-level signals to voltages that will drive a power amplifier to its full rated output.

Regards,

So Alan and others, what do you think of using a receiver like this Sony, or like your basic mid-fi AV Receiver (Yamaha 1400 or RXV-X95, Onkyo X01, Denon 280X, H/K X25, etc.), as a pre-amp with a separate two-channel amp? Significant or marginal improvements under such an arrangement? And if there's an improvement, is it only with amps costing in excess of $500 or $1000? Anyone tried using just an old SS integrated amp (the kind many of us already have from way back when, or can obtain at little or no cost) with an AV receiver as a pre-amp?

Birdman

PS I'm just wondering about 2-channel music, not HT. HT separates is an economic road I don't want to go down.

ABman,
I used this setup recently when i had the Parasound and Anthem amps for auditioning. I hooked up my Onkyo DS797 as the preamp and used the Parasound and Anthem as the external stereo power amps.
For HT this can be a real bonus b/c you can easily add more power for your speakers yet buy a cheaper surround receiver for use as the processor.
For music i cannot say it did very much. Although it added more power for my large Tannoys, the sound 'difference' was rather inaudible.
For those who believe there are huge differences in each and every SS amp, then they may prefer to go this route.

Personally i think it only makes sense for HT unless your main speakers are real power hogs like Magnepans. In such case, getting an external stereo amp for the mains would be more of a necessity.

Do you have any particular brand in mind? Try looking into IRD audio. They have a 100w monoblock for less than $300. Good bang for the buck, like Axiom speakers.

RD, your 545 doesn't have preamp outputs for driving a separate amp, so that makes your specific question moot. More generally, on what you and AB ask about separate amps, unless your present amp is audibly distorting(rather unlikely)a slightly more powerful(even double the power only increases maximum output by 3db) receiver or separate amp won't make any audible difference, since the extra power won't be used.

So basically what you are saying is that in order for me to get the most out of my M60's for stereo purposes, I'd need to scrap my present Sony and buy a dedicated Pre-Amp, and dedicated amp?

No. Do they sound good to you now? Does your receiver clip and destroy the speakers? Does it sound like it's straining? If not, then don't worry about it.

Hi rdwarn,

All the responses here are worthy. I'd predict very marginal improvements at best, if indeed they'd be audible at all. You'd hear far greater improvements by adding a subwoofer to use with your M60s, or adding additional channels for multichannel music playback. Only when power requirements are really huge--big rooms, real-life playback levels--do separate power amplifiers come into their own. These comments only apply to SS amps, not tube gear, which introduces all kinds of wonky variables to the equation, including generous amounts of even-order harmonic distortion, which some enthusiasts like. It can add a mushy, soft "full" quality to reproduced music, as well as audible variations in frequency response that may or may not be flattering.

Regards,

Thank you Alan and everyone else for the feedback. Looks like maybe I'll channel the money for the seperates into a good sub-woofer.

I would say it depends on what you're looking for. If you're satisfied with home theater stuff but looking for more detail and dynamics from stereo music, then invest in a good CD player, good main speakers, and possibly a good amp.

But I agree that the amp may only provide a subtle enhancement; in my view, the DAC on your CD player is very important. If your CD source is getting re-digitized at the receiver, then re-DAC'd, then you are losing significant sound quality.

If you're looking for surround sound or more impact with your movies, then surround speakers or subwoofers are a good investment. There is always a balance between sound quality, sound quantity (no. channels), volume, and price. My priorities were mostly on stereo at first. Now I have just made some horizontal upgrades to go with surround sound (increasing quantity but not quality). Stereophiles love to take the vertical steps up in sound quality.

have fun,
Cooper