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What are the best pre amp with streaming under 2000$? what ports they need to have?

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Hi i wonder, What are the best pre amp with streaming under 2000$?
Also what ports need pre amp to have in order to be connected to power amplifier ?
most of the manufactuters doesnt provide much stuff and provide old products for high price, i am looking for something good price/per quality ratio not old product for year 2010 priced at 2000$ from nad thats a robery even without any streaming options..
Please tell me what ports and options need pre amp to have so i can recognize them easily.
 

antcollinet

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Preamps don't normally have streaming functions. At least, I'm not aware of any.

You may find a streamer with a volume control you can connect direct to a power amp - which amp are you talking about.
 

ahofer

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I like the compatibility of Cambridge streamers (Tidal, Spotify, Roon, Airplay,Chromecast).


Others here like the Bluesound Node.

If you are a roon user (or Moode), a raspberry pi with DAC hat will do the trick at a very reasonable price. Build it yourself, or you can buy them pre-configured like these:

Matrix Audio has tested very well here, and they have Roon and multi-compatible streaming:

(they make more expensive ones, but I'm not sure there's much of a point other than screen real estate and headphone options)

I have personal experience with the Cambridge and all the Raspberry Pi options listed above. I use a pi2AES to an RME DAC to a March Audio power amp in my main system, a Cambridge Audio streamer to a Bryston amplifier in my country house, and the pecanpi, and a home brew pi to feed two desktop dacs (headphones, powered monitors)

RCA or balanced (XLR) out is all you need for your amp (it has both). All the streamers/DACs above work on wifi or ethernet network connections, and typically have optical and SPDIF inputs for CD players or some other digitial source (some have AES, another digital input format)
 
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antcollinet

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Do you mean "source" rather than preamp?

A preamp is normally something that sits between a source (or mulitiple sources) in the analogue interconnect, switches between them, and provides gain/volume control.

Some modern ones might have digital inputs, but I'm not aware of any that also stream.


Alternatively you can find a streamer that also has a volume control, some of them also have additional digital inputs.
 
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Again let me explain, there is a integrated amp, which i dont have,

there is a power amplifier which i plan to buy after power amp i need to buy pre amp, and i want to be able also my phone via apple airplane and also my android phone ,so i am looking for some sort of pre amp with these solutions the power amp which i plan to buy is again nad c298 based on purifi.
not much streaming options , thats why i am kinda stuck.
i dont think e Bluesound Node. thats compabitile as pre amp.

power amp is different than integrated amp. it have power but nothing else.
 

ahofer

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antcollinet

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What you are describing is not a preamp.


You are describing a streamer or DAC with additional functionality.
 
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It has a digital volume control. https://support1.bluesound.com/hc/e...-the-Volume-for-my-selected-Bluesound-Player-

So if you use it as a streamer or DAC exclusively, it is a full-functioning passive preamplifier. I don't think it has pass through or phono inputs or any kind of analogue input.

The options listed above all have volume control, but no line level analogue pass-through.

so far i liked this product from cambridge a lot is it reliable and good ?
are there simular from cambridge or other popular brands where i can take a look , that product is available.
 

NiagaraPete

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He's buying a NAD C298. I have suggested the RME ADI2-fs and a low cost streamer.
 
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He's buying a NAD C298. I have suggested the RME ADI2-fs and a low cost streamer.
Not available unfortunately where i am , i am stuck with whatever popular brands only are offered like
marantz, nad, cambridge and other ultra popular brands like arcam etcs...
and accountant doesnt allow me to buy outside the country since he cant write it as expense. its not low cost as well ,it cost same as cambridge audio.
 

NiagaraPete

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The Bluesound Node got a crappy review here and its really expensive for a streamer. A Nano3 for less than 60 works better.
 

ahofer

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so far i liked this product from cambridge a lot is it reliable and good ?
are there simular from cambridge or other popular brands where i can take a look , that product is available.
The matrix streamers/DACs are most like the Cambridge, but I don’t think they are Chromecast compatible.

I have two Cambridge streamers (one is used in a DAC in a home theater). One I’ve had for I think 15 years, the other since 2018. THe best thing about them is that people who don’t know or understand my system setup can get going and listen really fast from Spotify or Apple Music or whatever. The new Cambridge streamer switches sources automatically, so all they have to operate is the power and the volume.
 
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What about a MiniDSP SHD?

Edit: never mind given your post above.
Its not available as well...
i can get almost any model of nad,cambridge,arcam marantz or other ultra popular brands.

un autorized dealers in BG
made insane mark up for these cambridge audio so i need to look to something else their mark up is like double because only 1 gray market seller offer it...
no official dealership we have arcam dealership.
and marantz i guess and other brands.


What are the ports every pre amplifier must/ need to have so i can easily recognize them are they called balanced XLR ports or something else ?
 
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Timcognito

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Timcognito

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Its not available as well...
Then, how about the Lyngdorf Audio TDAI‑1120 ($2199)
Edit: it goes head to head subjectively in the post above with the SHD
 

NiagaraPete

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Then, how about the Lyngdorf Audio TDAI‑1120 ($2199)
I dont see that unit to have ports, balanced XLR ports , also for simple streamer price is overkill , here gray dealership since no official exist add some mark up and price can go higher.

Where is my idea why i decided to go with power amp, to receive better quality,
that lyndorf is way overpriced for whatever it is.
i preffer something less pricey.
 

Timcognito

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Try this first; WiiM Mini Streamer ($100) + Topping E30II ($150) and what ever amp you want. There is whole thread here of over the moon partakers with WiiM mini.
 
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