A pre-amplifier combined with a separate power amplifier generally provides the best possible sound quality in a stereo system, and the separate components provide a more flexible upgrade path. A pre-amplifier is the most important electronic component in your system, because even the best ones add noise.
Instructions
1. Decide whether you need a pre-amp with a phono stage for playing records. Determine how many inputs and outputs you need.
2. Become familiar with the sound-quality differences between tube and solid-state amplifiers.
3. Check the Recommended Components lists in "Stereophile" for both prices and suggestions of models worthy of auditioning. Read reviews in audiophile magazines and at the "Audio Review" Web site to help you narrow your list.
4. Take some of your favorite LPs and CDs when you audition pre-amplifiers. Choose pieces that will challenge the bass and treble, imaging and soundstaging, and dynamic range capabilities of the equipment. Pieces with quiet passages can be especially revealing of a pre-amplifier's noisiness.
5. Arrange to listen to possible candidates at home through your own system.
6. Ask the dealer to provide appropriate cables to use between the pre-amplifier and power amplifier.
7. Conduct a bypass test by connecting your CD player or other line-level source directly to your power amplifier, or use the bypass switch on the pre-amplifier if it has one. Play a song. Compare the sound, using the same recording, of your system with the pre-amplifier in the loop.
8. Make your decision based on sound quality in your current system, price, manufacturer's warranty (especially critical for tube equipment), features, and dealer service before and after the sale.
9. Budget between $70 and $800 for cables to get value out of your investment in a good pre-amplifier. Even if you already have good cables, be prepared for a potential mismatch with your new equipment.
10. Buy a pair of balanced cables for a significant increase in fidelity if your pre-amplifier has balanced outputs and your power amplifier has balanced inputs.
Tags: power amplifier, your system, sound quality, your power, your power amplifier