I run my Squeezebox3 into a Creek OBH-22 passive-pre and out to active speakers and it's an excellent set-up for me. Crystal clear, fast, dynamic, and weighty. Just last night I was playing Sunn 0))) and the bass extension was shaking my room like an earthquake. If I put on some fractured dubstep there's no smearing of the skitty drum tracks whatsoever. Works for me.
Passives or attenuators, if done properly, and if one recognises the limitations, really are the only genuine hi-fi option. An in-line active box cannot ever improve the fidelity of the source player, they can only add degridation of some kind. Whether you can hear it is another matter, there are plenty of superb active pres. Provided you're not using 50ft of high-capacitance cabling, or your power amp isn't total rubbish, or your source isn't completely weedy, most passive options will drive a power amp with all the juice it needs. I think the SB3 probably outputs something like 2.0volts or something which is plenty to drive through a passive via a short and decent interconnect. Again, go with what sounds best for you, both options are totally valid imo. -- GeeZa ------------------------------------------------------------------------ GeeZa's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=5563 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=25614 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
