Passive Balanced Preamp

[Josh]

The more I read up, the more I think I am comfortable without a preamp. I'm not thrilled with the range of the volume control. It seems that Volume 1 is around 65dB and Volume 60 is about 95dB - and it takes longer than I like to get up there. But its remote controlled, and it works, so I think that I will forgo the preamp. Not so much for the costs savings, but just removing another source coloring.

I read a great article which basically said (I'm paraphrasing), anything between the source and the speakers (cables, preamps, etc) takes away from the signal - not add to it. So good cables really don't "add" to the sound, it just degrades it less. That makes perfect sense to me, I just never thought about it that way until someone wrote it out. So, since I think I am comfortable with the way things are working out, I think I will leave the preamp out.

[WiWavelength]

Originally Posted by Josh

The more I read up, the more I think I am comfortable without a preamp. I'm not thrilled with the range of the volume control. It seems that Volume 1 is around 65dB and Volume 60 is about 95dB - and it takes longer than I like to get up there.

If the difference between 1 and 60 on the Oppo digital volume control is 30 dB, it sounds like the volume control operates in 0.5 dB increments. I just wonder why Oppo did not label it that way as a relative scale.

Originally Posted by Josh

...so I think that I will forgo the preamp. Not so much for the costs savings, but just removing another source coloring.

I would not worry about audible coloration in competent solid state electronics. There is little, if any scientific evidence to suggest that minute differences in frequency response and distortion levels can be reliably detected by human ears.

That said, there is no good reason to impose an unnecessary component. If the digital volume control meets your listening needs, then no preamp is required.

AJ