Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site edison.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!epsilon!zeta!sabre!petrus!bellcore!decvax!mcnc!ncsu!uvacs!edison!dca
From: dca@edison.UUCP (David C. Albrecht)
Newsgroups: net.audio
Subject: Re: How to choose a preamp?
Message-ID: <565@edison.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 2-Oct-85 10:18:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: edison.565
Posted: Wed Oct  2 10:18:33 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 5-Oct-85 08:17:45 EDT
References: <3900003@uiucdcsp>
Organization: General Electric Company, Charlottesville, VA
Lines: 50

> 
> Would anybody tell what the criteria are when you look for a preamp?

It should take leetle sounds and make them BIG. :-)

Seriously, it depends on how much of a fanatic you are and what
features you want.  Most reasonably designed pre-amps have
negligable distortion.  Hum and noise is also usually not a
problem with anything made by a reputable manufacturer.

If you are a fanatic you will want one of the basic pre-amps
catering to the market which are virtually straight wire with
gain units.  If you are not the feature content goes up.

1)  Tone controls - I never use these but most preamps have them.

2)  Loudness network - Again I never use them but no doubt some people do.

3)  Tape monitors - These I do use, the more the merrier.

4)  Separate source and record network - You can listen to one thing
    while recording another.  This is pretty neat.

5)  Subsonic and infrasonic filters - Can be useful for warped records
    and sources that you are not so sure of the quality of.

6)  High and low filters - Forget it.

7)  L-R, L+R, L, R output - L-R, L+R are handy in system setup marginally
    useful thereafter.

8)  Switched outlets - Turns on the power amp, VERY useful.

9)  Power amp feed through - Does speaker switching and headphone out
    can be handy.

10) Mute - Lets you lower the volume to answer the phone then restore
    to former level after hang-up can be nice.

11) MC input - If you have a MC cartridge can be useful though fanatics
    often eschew MC builtins.

12) Selectable loading for MM cartridge - Most MM cartridges are somewhat
    loading sensitive, gives optimum performance from your MM cartridge.

13) Stepped attenuator rather than potentiometer for volume control -
    gives better noise performance and doesn't degrade as drastically
    with age but limits volume to discrete steps.

David Albrecht


Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com