Is anyone here running an amplifier using their receiver as a preamp?

Thanks for all the replies on the Onkyo as a preamp (didn't mean to hijack think it addresses subject of post).

The manual says you can do it but again, I was reluctant since the jumpers seemed reluctant to be removed and proceeding with caution (checking first).

I don't have a power amp yet, but since I acquired the JBL L112s I've been looking at a few and searching for something in the 200-300W RMS range. I'm slowly moving up and already really like the TX-4500 through the L112s (although hybrid running mids and tweets and woofer from L-100s until I get both the 128Hs back from recone/surround. That alone should improve things. I also need to find a turntable to match up with what I have, but that's another rabbit hole.

 

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Harvestor....I'm using a Luxman R1070 as a Preamp with a Carver M 500t amp, driving ADS 1290's. I like it alot.

 

NAD 7130 to Adcom GFA 545II as a standby system
Nakamichi R-1 Mini Combo to a surprisingly nice sounding and well built Speakercraft BB275 in the bedroom
When I get crazy stacking speakers I'll add an amp or two to the MCS 3125 along with it's own amp

 

I did the other way around for a while and used a Luxman CX-100 preamp into the power amp section of a Nakamichi TA-3A.

 

I've been using a Pioneer SX-1250 as a tuner/preamp for several years. Originally to feed a SPEC-4, and for the last year or so to feed a WOPL 700, pushing EPI 1000 speakers.

My bedroom system is an SX-5580 (black SX-1050) feeding an SAE Mark IIIc driving EPI 400's.

 

Those jumpers are the usual way this was done on receivers, and you simply pull them out. Pull a little harder; they usually fit more snugly than many RCA plugs do. Also note that if you want to use the outboard amp and the built-in (for different speaker pairs or for bi-amping certain speakers) you can use a pair of RCA Y-cords (1 female to 2 male, my preference) from the pre-out L&R to both pair of amp inputs L&R.

 

Using - daily - a Marantz 2252 as a preamp feeding two Dynaco ST-70 amps rigged as monoblocs. Sounds sweet. The Marantz solid state amp gives me the tone controls that tube amps need to sound their best - and I get to see the beautiful blue dial of the Marantz. Highly recommended.

I really believe that mixing tubes and solid state allows for the "best of both worlds" - the power and precision of solid state mixed with the golden hued tonality of tubes. The mix seems to work either way - solid state amps with tube preamp - or vice versa.

 

A Nad 7175PE into a harman kardon citation 16A. It sounds fantastic.

 

Yesterday, I ran a Dynavector 20X2 to a Rothwell step up transformer, to the Advent 300 mm phono, and then pre-out to an 8 watt 300B SET amp. Sounded wonderful through K-horns. Then I cut the grass, and that sucked. I recommend ignoring the grass, and using your receiver as a preamp.

 

I used to use an Anthem MRX700 as a pre with various Bryston amps. Always worked well, but eventually traded up to Anthem AVM60 pre-pro and Krell amp for mains, still use Anthem for the other channels.

Good to check if the receiver does any processing or if you can turn off any processing for the pre-outs if you want to do this. One of the reasons I sold the MRX700 was that it processed every input even the analog ones. Never liked the idea of ADC -> DAC for analogue phono input.

 

Since my Mcintosh C 28 needs a rebuild, I started using a Marantz SR7000 HTR as a two channel pre amp.
It really sounds good connected to an MC-162 amp. The Tuner is exceptional, and at this point, and since it sounds so good, I haven't even considered buying a Pre Amp. Speakers are Definitive Tech BP10.

 

Earlier this year I bought a stack of old gear and I have been working through it, trying to decide what to keep. One of the receivers is a Pioneer SX 626 that has the needed jumpers, so I decided to try it as a pre-amp feeding a Crown XLS1500 amp. This is in my office system with NLA utilities modded with Janszen tweeter arrays in place of the fried egg tweeters. The amp section of the old Pioneer works fine, but the difference using it with the pro amp has convinced me to keep it set up this way. I haven't tried the phono section yet, but the tuner is very good and my audio files through the aux sound nice.

 

As long as sensitivties are with in reason why not. I always enjoyed the idea of the Tuner pre-amp. You buy a complementary amp with a moderate power and if you need big power later on or you want to change from SS to tube power amp you can without having to replace everything. My favorite tuner pre-amp was Macs MX 117. It was a nice piece, performed very well and matched up with so many many Mac amps. Whether it was little MC225 from the past or a big MC2600. The sound was fantastic. My MX 119 with a tuner module wasn't exactly a stereo pre-amp-tuner, but it sounded great in the Pure Analog Stereo mode. Now that streaming is the preferred choice tuner pre-amps are just memories from the past. But if you see one and you are in the market for a pre-amp, they make a great alternative. The first Mac system I ever heard was a Mcintosh MX 110 pushing a 240 driving Altec Carmels. I will always remember. that experience. The Hifi shop at the time recorded groups live to make LP Albums published by Century Records. They happened to be playing a dub of a pirated P,P, & M concert I had attended and instantly fell in love with hifi. Though I had already caught the bug.

 

Back to listening to the Yamaha R-8 w/ preouts added, through the Altec 1270c.
Up next for preout addition is the Pioneer SX-890 and Denon DRA-755.
Speakers are currently Nova 8b's, soon to be changed to AR-12's that were gifted to me about 3 weeks ago. Just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Many in rotation, like Pioneer VSX-56TXi w/ mains driven by QSC USA 1350, etc...

 

Late to this thread but I've been doing this and like it quite a bit. I'm using a Marantz 5010 home theater receiver, which is supposed to have a good preamp (hyper-dynamic amplifier module or HDAM in marketing-speak). But I'm using zone 2 out which is straight analog stereo.