Anyone compared these two passive pres?
If we assume short (ish) interconnects is there really ever going to be a big difference between, decent, passive pre amps? I would be suprised if there were.... My understanding is that the newer, transformer based,passives have a real advantage when it comes to driving longer interconnects. Darren
On the subject of passive pre amps, how do they differ from a 'conventional' pre amp? Also, more philosophically, why are all pre amps so bloody expensive? In principle, all they do is select the signal from the right source and pass it onto the power amps suitably increased. And yet they look so complicated inside. Well mine do any way! Please enlighten me
hi dylan. passive pre-amps are effectively 'just' a volume control, and maybe a switch to change channels. They normally dont have a mains lead. active pre-amps amplify the sound (and have a volume control and a switch). passive pre-amps have the advantage of fewer components and the disadvantage of lower gain. active pre-amps have the advantage of loads of gain and the disadvantage of many components and therefore a less pure sound. apologies for all the generalisations nb they're not all that dear, you may be just looking in the wrong place! try kits from diyhifisupply, hificollective, audionotekits if you are handy with a soldering iron. there are plenty of inexpensive built ones .. try companies like creek or second hand places like ebay, audiogon etc.
and all the Chinese valve pre's. This is the inside of my pre-amp, hardly full of stuff! PS. Sorry for the huge photo! It was meant to resize.
T - What a contrast to my Kairn and to my previous NAC - not a pcb to be seen. My mate has a new pre amp - a Music First which I'd not heard of previously - and it's as devoid of gubbins inside as yours is. Must be a way of keeping costs down - I don't think
The Music First is basically the same as the Django which I have. The Music First was designed largely by the member of this forum called 3DSonics.
Tenson - IMO,the MF is just superb albeit from only a brief listening. It does nothing ... by which I mean it puts nothing in the way of the music. And for me, that's how it should be. It's a credit to its designers. Now if only there was a remote controlled version....! How do you rate your Django equivalent?
I rate it very well. Since I have changed from my valve pre I have noticed a harshness to the sound though. I am not sure if it is the pre amp or simply that the harshness of something else (DAC) has been reviled. I am going to mod the DAC so I will know soon. Apart from that it has amazing dynamics, openness and detail. Soundstageing and imaging is good also. Really, except for the harshness, it is perfect and it may not be the pre doing that anyway.
No progress yet, I am awaiting delivery of some silver wire and silver solder. I have not actually spent much time listening to the systems at SOM. Mostly just chatting with JJ and others. The place has a very nice atmosphere. The ones I have heard were pretty good, but not perfect. There is a very nice selection of kit. I think they just bought some new bits back from the Las Vegas show too.
Hi, Speak of the evil samurai, do you.... ;-) Actually, the final industrial design of the box and implementation of the MF-Audio is Harry O'Sullivan. The transformer Design for the transformers used in there is Jonathan Billington (of Stevens & Billington) with a little input on sonic tuning from myself and from John Chapman (BentAudio.com) but based on an original specification and a set of ideas by me. The audio circuit inside the MF Audio Pre, some of the minor (but still significant) changes to the transformers as well the specification of materials (Aluminum case, not magnetic steel for example, wire used, switches used, connectors et al) is largely mine, same goes for the MC Stepup BTW.... The Django uses the "general market" version of the same transformer used in the MF Audio Preamp but these days for cost reasons a lower cost item made in China is included as option. I have the Opera Reference 1.3 (which is the commercial - not DIY Product using these Transformers) at home and it is not in the system (it's stuffed into a corner somewhere, actually...). The basic circuit of the Django differs a lot, a typhical example is that that Django has one big shared ground bus all RCA-connectors share while the MF-Audio unit is specified with switched ground and signal lines, so that multiple RCA equipped sources cannot crosscontaminate each others "grounds". Finally,a picture of the insides of the UK made MF-Audio unit (wired by an ex BBC technician): Ciao T
