There has not been a conventional preamplifier in my main audio system for quite a while, because no multichannel preamp is available that’s of high enough quality. Instead, I use the high-precision digital volume controls in my players and DACs and choose sources with a relay-based multichannel analog switch. Plus, I tell myself that no preamp can be more accurate and transparent than no preamp.
However, I recently installed DiracLive3, which effectively reduces the available system gain by almost 20dB! In my salad days, I would have designed and built a balanced driver with gain for each channel; today, I require an off-the-shelf solution. After weeks of research, I found one: the Topping Pre90 ($599).
I didn’t really want a preamp in the system; I just needed more muscle. My DACs, which have a specified maximum output of 3V, were being pushed to the limit. The Pre90 was enticing me with 16dB of maximum gain and potential output of up to 50V peak-to-peak.
“I see [a preamp] as a high-quality volume control plus input selector,” said Topping’s John Yang. “The main goal is to achieve [the] lowest noise and distortion possible. Digital volume controls in DACs are in the digital domain, before the D-to-A conversion, so the noise of the DAC remains the same after attenuation. So, you always lose S/N ratio this way, regardless of the precision of the digital volume control. An analog volume control conserves SNR, because it attenuates the noise as well as the signal from upstream.” However, a careful design is required, he noted, to avoid adding more noise. “The noise needs to be low at all volume settings. Low-impedance internal circuitry allows this low-noise performance.”
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My last Far East trip
First comes the anticipation, that initial jet of warm water, that miraculous searching, finding the sweet spot, then heaven on earth as it cleans and caresses.
Riding the Common Wave
In the e-commerce era, brick-and-mortar dealerships must give customers compelling reasons to stop by. Los Angeles hi-fi dealership Common Wave's owner Wesley Katzir keeps customers coming through the door with a simple idea: that music matters in our everyday lives and that what he enjoys, other people will enjoy, too.
Mind Games to the bottom of the rabbit hole
After a wild decade in the biggest pop music group ever, John Lennon's post-Beatles years were spent in protest, in various kinds of therapy, in immigration court, and in search of a new musical identity.
Trane meets the Motor City
Detroit became a destination for migrating African Americans early, starting with the Underground Railroad; the city's proximity to Canada was convenient for those seeking to escape Southern slavery.
Vital art never rests
At this late date, it seems impossible that there could still be \"lost\" albums lingering in the vaults by musicians as important and successful as Johnny Cash and Paul McCartney.
DUKE IN 10
TO COMMEMORATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF DUKE'S DEATH, ROBERT BAIRD SELECTS A DOUBLE HANDFUL OF EXEMPLARY TRACKS FROM PERHAPS AMERICA'S GREATEST MUSICAL GENIUS.
Piega Coax Gen2 811
It's funny how we discover some music in unexpected, twisting ways.
Pass Laboratories XP-27
One of the pleasures of reviewing-and also using-products from Pass Laboratories is an encounter with Nelson Pass's writing, which can usually be found in the owner's manual and is always competent, insightful, and sometimes funny.
EMT 928 II
Modern turntables are a paradox.
Dynaudio Contour 30i
Ah, Denmark. Land of the Vikings and blue-eyed, blond-haired folk with faces sculpted just so.
