I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree Robin, in the spirit of good natured debate. :-) I just do not see any point whatsoever in active pre amplification (as you can no doubt tell). Given that most modern sources like CD players and the SB3 already provide a good output stage, and that most power amplifiers exhibit input impedences above the 10k ohm level and can be fully driven with around a single volt, the active buffering circuitry in even the most expensive active pres is totally and utterly redundant. It's all done in the source these days. Again, why are people paying (often several thousands of dollars) for something they don't need? For some reason passive units have a terrible reputation. Go to any hi-fi store and note what the ratio of actives to passives is, that's if they do any passive AT ALL. The industry just doesn't seem interested, although you'll often find audio engineers will have built their own volume pot as a sort of hobby project. :-)
It's not even about price points or comparing good with average, it's about design principles and what's worth paying for. A well made passive controller will out-perform or match any active stage at any price, and the currently recognised best on the market like Creek or Audio Synthesis are affordable. Only exotica like Music First gets up to the multiple thousands. My Creek cost $500 and that compares to my old ATC SCA which was $6500. The Creek is to all intents and purposes audibly no different and I suspect measures better. They are effectively noiseless, and distortion and compression free. I used active pre-amps for 15 years but once I demoed a passive I never went bank. I just much prefer the philosophy of a passive controller (I have three sources), and find the sound effortlessly neutral and enjoyable. Plus you can save a pretty penny and spend it on music instead. The original poster wondered if he should try one and my recommendation is a definitie yes. I agree with Phil, try it and see, you may well be surprised. I guess we've beaten this to death. :-) -- 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
