The theory for "no preamp is the best" is based on the idea that the less that is done to an audio signal, the better. And there's probably a lot of truth to that.
However, most amps out there today are designed expecting a certain voltage level coming to the input, and most digital sources out there either don't output an optimal voltage level to match the amp, or they have some kind of gain stage after the D-to-A process that is actually pretty much akin to doing exactly what a preamp does in terms of gain. The audiophile "traditionalist" will argue that having this preamp section as a separate box is a better idea, based on the whole reason for "separates" to begin with...dedicated power supplies to each section of the audio chain, better EM/RF isolation, vibration control, etc. In other words, if you believe in the value of separates, then a separate preamp makes sense if the amp is designed to receive a relatively high input voltage. -- PhilNYC Sonic Spirits Inc. http://www.sonicspirits.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PhilNYC's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=837 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=30852 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
