stereo coffee Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 2 minutes ago, Steffen said: Sorry, but voltage levels for interconnects are not a matter of fidelity, only of interoperability. What you need to watch out for are sensitive pre-amps, that force you to dial down the volume knob all the way to 8 or 9 o’clock, and then add 18dB of gain. That’s BAD. Ah,one of a few of those elephants in the room again, they are there you need to start seeing what is there other than cables between your source and power amp. If you remove what is there, that is one gone at least, then set about matching consumer line level presently exiting your source, to your power amp also at consumer line level, with the best device you possibly can. There is the recipe, easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steffen Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 8 minutes ago, stereo coffee said: Ah,one of a few of those elephants in the room again, they are there you need to start seeing what is there other than cables between your source and power amp. If you remove what is there, that is one gone at least, then set about matching consumer line level presently exiting your source, to your power amp also at consumer line level, with the best device you possibly can. There is the recipe, easy. It is indeed easy, but you make it sound so complicated. The source should put out a higher level than the amp’s input sensitivity, though, to allow for attenuation and volume reserve (for particularly quiet recording). My DAC’s 2V are a good match for my amp’s 1V (both well above consumer line level of yore, as you’ll notice). This requires 6dB attenuation to avoid overdriving the amp at full scale DAC output. That’s 3 clicks down from max on my TVC (out of 24 clicks). For normal listening, I usually have it set between 5 and 8 clicks down. Additional gain is never required. Straight forward and perfect for my needs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussievintage Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, stereo coffee said: It has not increased, and remains as it has, since its inception. Rubbish. It was always contentious. I remember certain 70s equipment brands that couldn't be mixed with others because the line level it put out was enough to cause distortion in the downstream equipment, or the other way around. 1 hour ago, Steffen said: I think this was never more than a convention, Exactly, and one not agreed to by some manufacturers. 52 minutes ago, stereo coffee said: Well if we view Wikipedia as a common meeting point of information without any bias at all. That's your great reference??? lol I was there and let me assure you, there was NO standard. Edited March 2, 2021 by aussievintage 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tripitaka Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 This 200+ post thread could well stake a valid claim as deserving 'pinned topic' status - both as a cautionary tale (to never start another preamp thread) but also as a useful record of diametrically opposed hifi perspectives/configurations. But for god's sake let us stop here since, SURELY, there is nothing new to say on the matter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal beat Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Quote A Short Story: Get a Preamp I agree. as long as it sounds better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyW Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 Hmmm, I think this thread has lost me. It's about the music guys. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoHo Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 How a pre-amp interacts with a source and with a power amp can be complicated and, I guess, this thread reflects that 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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