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Do I need a preamp?

Esprit

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Premise, I have a Bryston preamp and that's where it collects dust.

The DAC is connected in balanced mode directly to the Adams.

Every now and then some of my friends insist that I should use the preamp but I absolutely don't understand what advantage I could have.

I am convinced that there is none.
 
There are a few reasons, but they may not be important to you;
  • Allows more than one source to be used (doesn't sound important to you)
  • Physical volume control, just in case your DAC glitches and turns on at full, 0dB, volume (theoretically possible, practically rare). This is a good safety feature
  • Preamplification ... where the output from your DAC is too low for your Adams (or an Amp in general) and you can't get the full output power. If you don't need it, you don't need it
  • Aesthetics
 
I am convinced that there is none.
Any active component added to the chain will introduce noise and distortion. So you are right, unless you absolutely need any of your preamp's functions, it would be better to let things remain as they are now.
 
I'm with you on this, I use my Naim power amp with a direct 'line level' and volume controlled feed from an RME ADI-2 fs DAC. Despite other Naim owners ranting on about it needs 'the other half of the amp' to make it complete, i.e. the 'pre amp' I can see no reason why it should be necessary as I strongly suspect that the DAC is perfectly capable of driving the power amp to full power.

Quite what magic the matching Naim pre-amp is supposed to confer on matters is a mystery to me, unless it is designed to colour the sound.

Perhaps someone else knows better?
 
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Any active component added to the chain will introduce noise and distortion. So you are right, unless you absolutely need any of your preamp's functions, it would be better to let things remain as they are now.

Oh yes, that's it, noise and distortion, Naim pre-amps seem to be good at that! and at emptying wallets.
 
Physical volume control, just in case your DAC glitches and turns on at full, 0dB, volume (theoretically possible, practically rare). This is a good safety feature
It's better to use passive attenuators for that.

Preamplification ... where the output from your DAC is too low for your Adams (or an Amp in general) and you can't get the full output power. If you don't need it, you don't need it
I doubt the "preamp" applies any gain in the first place. And ADAMs are known to be very sensitive, so it's unlikely they cannot be driven to their maximum output by an average balanced DAC.
 
It's better to use passive attenuators for that.
I also have this one, it also gets covered in dust.
C1CB706D-4E85-457C-837B-B7DD4335DF71.jpeg
 
What better place to ask than here? :)
I'll dust off my preamp and put it up for sale then.
Do you need a preamp? :D

I have a couple of headphone amplifiers selected from this very 'place of testing', they both have a pre-out and work perfectly well as intended. These pre date my RME purchase but make no difference to the sound quality when compared to the RME DAC on its own.

They live in my loft space.
 
Preamplification ... where the output from your DAC is too low for your Adams (or an Amp in general) and you can't get the full output power. If you don't need it, you don't need it
Currently the Adams input is decreased by 20 dB to keep the digital volume of the DAC as high as possible.

04D29734-7ACF-4B64-847F-BA327E0E0324.jpeg
 
There are a few reasons, but they may not be important to you;
  • Allows more than one source to be used (doesn't sound important to you)
  • Physical volume control, just in case your DAC glitches and turns on at full, 0dB, volume (theoretically possible, practically rare). This is a good safety feature
  • Preamplification ... where the output from your DAC is too low for your Adams (or an Amp in general) and you can't get the full output power. If you don't need it, you don't need it
  • Aesthetics

Yes, I essentially agree with you.

Only if OP @Esprit would be interested in DSP-based multichannel multi-SP-driver multi-amplifier audio setup...

I dare to use four HiFi "integrated amplifiers", according to my policy of "right-person-in-right-place", in my DSP-Based multichannel multi-SP-driver multi-amplifier fully active audio setup, where top-upstream JRiver MC acts as master volume controller. You can find the details of my latest setup here #931 on my project thread.

I rather intensively wrote there the pros and merits of analog level relative gain control by "integrated amplifiers", as shown under this spoiler cover;
Here in this post, please let me emphasize again about the pros and merits of relative gain (i.e. tone) control not only in digital domain but also in analog domain using pre-amplifiers or integrated-amplifiers (in my setup). I recently wrote again in my post #56 on a remote thread like these;
Yes, as for safe and flexible tone controls (or I can say "relative gain controls among the multiple SP drivers"), my stance (policy) at least, is that we are encouraged to utilize the "best combination" of "DSP configuration in digital domain" and "analog domain tone controls using HiFi-grade preamplifiers and/or integrated amplifiers".

We need to note (and to respect for) that analog domain tone controls (relative gain controls among the multiple SP drivers) give no effect nor influence at all on the upstream DSP configuration (XO/EQ/Gain/Phase/Polarity/Group-Delay). I believe that this is a great merit of flexible tone controls in analog domain. We know well, on the other hand, in case if we would like to do the "tone/gain controls" only within DSP configurations, such DSP gain controls always affect more-or-less on "XO" "EQ" "phase" and "delay" of the DSP settings which will leads you to possible endless DSP tuning spirals every time; within DSP configurations, XO EQ Gain Phase and Delay are always not independent with each other, but they are always interdependent/on-interaction.

Just for your possible reference, my DSP-based multichannel multi-SP-driver multi-amplifier active system has flexible and safe analog level on-the-fly relative gain controls (in addition to upstream on-the-fly DSP gain controls) for L&R subwoofers, woofers, midrange-squawkers, tweeters, and super-tweeters, all independently and remotely. My post here shows you a typical example case for such safe and flexible on-the-fly analog-level tone controls. This my post (as well as
this post) would be also of your interest.

Of course, I know well that I (we) can also perform such relative gain control using DAC8PRO’s 8-channel output gain controllers. I do not like, however, to change the DAC8PRO’s output levels frequently on-the-fly (while listening to music) due to safety and inconvenience concerns; I like to keep DAC8PRO’s analog out gain level always at constant -4 dB which should remain to be usually “untouchable” in my case.

One of the very unique aspects/features of my multichannel audio rig is that I fully utilize four HiFi-grade “integrated amplifiers” plus L&R active subwoofers, each of them have its own gain (volume) controller for safe and flexible relative gain (tone) control in analog domain even on-the-fly i.e. while listening to music.

In this perspective, my posts #438 and #643 should also give you better understandings. Furthermore, my posts #317(remote thread), #313(remote thread) would be also of your reference and interest.
For safety concerns, my post here #204(remote thread) should be also well noted and understood.
As shown in my diagram, all the parameters in EKIO can be modified/tuned on-the-fly while listening to music.
Fig03_WS00007533 (2) (1).JPG

EKIO also have ABX comparator functionality for comparison of two set of saved configuration files.

I usually do not like, however, to modify the DSP parameter(s) on-the-fly mainly for safety reasons; if I would unintentionally mistype 20 dB gain-up by keyboard instead of correct 2.0 dB, it may harm/destroy my treasure SP drivers, especially the Beryllium tweeters and/or metal horn tweeters; in this case, it is better to use mouse wheel up/down, not by keyboard numeric input, for on-the-fly gain tuning.

After my decision of "the simpler, the better" EKIO configuration (fine EQs included, if needed), therefore, I usually use four HiFi integrated amplifiers for further "coarse" but excellent enough relative gain (tone) controls.

Furthermore, you would please visit my post here #311 for the summary of my long journey of amplifier selection exploration.
 
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If you don't hear any noise from the speakers when there is no signal or a low level signal, there is nothing to be gained by adding anything to the signal path. If you hear noise, it is most likely the amplifier in the speaker producing it. Play nothing and set its input gain to the lowest level and see if that changes anything. Turn off the DAC and see if that changes anything.
 
Generally*, adding something to the chain from source to loudspeaker (all else being equal) will, as noted already, only add noise or distortion.
That noted, I would like to underscore @dualazmak 's "safety" comment. Better living through digitalization of everything ;) has given us source components that will occasionally (seemingly) randomly switch to full output -- with potentially very deleterious results. :facepalm: Consequently, having some level limiting in the chain isn't such a terrible idea.

________________
* and remember all generalizations are false, including this one. ;)
 
If you don't hear any noise from the speakers
No noise here, even with the DAC volume at maximum and your ear 5 centimeters from the tweeter, midrange and woofer.
 
Offer to sell the pre-amp to the next insisting expert and when needed buy a switch box to add sources. Amir has tested many.
 
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