As you may have read in a thread I started earlier, my Wright-Sound WPL-10V preamp was giving me trouble with its phono stage. (And thanks to everyone for the great advice). Last week I pulled it from the system and sent it to the man who built it -- George Wright -- for him to investigate and repair the problem. OK, good. I'll just plug in my standby Dynaco PAS-2 for the interim. OK, bad. My standby PAS-2 doesn't work. At all. It does make a lot of noise. So I pulled it out of the system too. Great. No preamp. Can't listen to LPs for a while. Well, why not plug the Sony SACD-CE775 SACD player direct into the McIntosh MC30s? Wow. Wow. What speed and immediacy. What presence. I miss my LPs, but CDs and SACDs are sounding much better than I had imagined. I connected the SACD player to the amps with DNM Reson cable with Eichmann RCA Bullet Plugs, and my Klipsch Cornwalls are rewired with DNM Reson with no speaker terminals (straight to the crossover) -- it's all pure, single-core copper from source to speakers. Give it a shot sometime. You'll probably be surprised.
I ran my CDP into my Decware Zen triode for over a year without need for a preamp. It sounded great without all the extra circuitry in between. I only reluctantly added a pre because for practical considerations I needed a remote volume control and wanted a phono pre as well. It made me realize that simpler is often much better...
I think it does, but I bought it without a remote, so if it does I can't control it. I do have to adjust the gain settings on the amps -- it seems the gain level on each CD I play is different -- but it's a small price to pay.
Yep, I have a simple setup as well. I only have a minisystem with an AUX input and a DJ mixer and have my turntable, MD/CD combo deck, a cassette deck and digital cable, DVD player and VCR connected to the DJ mixer and the sound is great. Simple is often better and as they say, a little bit can go a long ways in a lot of things.
Hi, I was in a rather similar environment when i first scored a McIntosh 240 and connected my cdp direct since i didn't have a tube pre. Later, i purchased a bunch of different McIntosh tube pre's and added them to the equation. Your review doesn't gel w/ my experiences which may be a reflection of your broken preamp. I liked my cdp when it was directly connected but it sounds much better (soundstage, detail, etc.) in my rig when i added a McIntosh preamp to the equation. Have ya tried a C-20, C-22, or MX-110 in your rig??? -Jeffrey
I support the "simpler is better" principle. My parents' system consists of a basic H/K amp, a Luxman CDP, and JBL speakers. The CDP has a variable level output.... so I don't even need a pre-amp. The difference is staggering - I'd never use the H/K preamp now.
Yes, if all is done correctly- bypassing the pre can result in magic. In my own experience, many- many problems and frustrations in my system have pointed to the pre-amp. My view is that they are ALL evil. Pick one that is the least evil with your amp.
I had the same experience with my KRELL CD player... I used the very expensive JEFF ROWLAND Coherence II (pic below) and after I bought the CD player, I bypassed the preamp and used the built-in preamp card of my CD player... the sound was on the same level. Amazing! So I have never used again an external line-preamp again.
I need to use a pre because I listen to phono. And my cd player doesn't have a volume pot. Anyway, Audio Research equipt with NOS tubes is the only pre that does it for me. Soundstaging, imaging, superb instrumental action- captures the sound of the recording. Also one time had a Stan Klyne SS unit that was also superb. Still- they are all EVIL.
Re: Re: Don't need no preamp! Nope. I've been told by many that I should, but 1) I don't really have the space for one of those big units, and 2) they're out of my price range. I prefer smaller components with tubes sticking out of the top . But if I ever find an MX-110 for $10 at a garage sale I'll be sure to try it out.
To quote Steve when I asked about this exact question last year..."The RCA to pre is much more musical sounding. The magic happens with the preamp". In my system I would agree with this assessment, of course your milage may vary.
Synergy of components seems to have one rule--it shall remain unpredictable, despite our best efforts. When you have it, you know it! Sort of like the mechanical equivalent of "Fairy Dust". When you get it right, sit back, listen and enjoy! --Roger