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Pre-amp vs. amp sound quality impact

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Sedge

Sedge

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Perhaps this topic has been covered before, but I can't seem to find a thread...
I'm interested in what has more influence on overall sound quality - the pre-amp or power amp. This goes for tube and SS systems. For instance, would it be better to put more $ in a better pre-amp or in the amp section if you had to prioritize from a budget standpoint?
Also, if you want the "tube" sound, would a tube pre-amp going through an SS amp work better/worse than a SS pre-amp going through a tube amp?

Thanks for your input.
 
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On a budget, as long as you have enough power for your speakers, definitely go with the pre-amp upgrade. The amp is going to amplify whatever signal it gets, but the pre-amp is where that signal comes from. The better that signal, the better the sound, even with a cheaper amp. As for tube pre/SS power vs SS pre/tube power, the first is generally less expensive, and the most often recommended path. I have a pair of 12AX7 tubes in my pre-amp, with 125w SS mono-block amps, and it makes for a very enjoyable sound.
 
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I agree with starting with good speakers. I have that pretty well covered with a pair of 1969 K-horns with a complete Volti upgrade. Now running through a Sony STR-GX10ES. No real issues with my SQ, but like any good stereo nut, I can't leave well enough alone.
 
It depends, of course.

tube phono preamp -> magnetic passive preamp (TVC) -> tube power amp has been my most revealing combination, FWIW.

In general, I think the preamp matters more. I think there are far fewer great preamps than decent power amps. But these are just more generalizations for the Generalization Roundup.
 
I was kidding earlier, but really it depends. Synergy between the two is really the key. Having said this it would seem having the two designed to work together as in an integrated amp would be the key. And cost no object this might actually be the case, I've never had equipment designed under those parameters.

But I can say using my Belles amp to do the heavy lifting for the Kenwood KA-7300 running as a pre was a definite improvement. This is no small feat as the true dual mono amp inside the 7300 is obviously trickle down from the statement 600 Supreme and no slouch in its own right.

I have two of these amps, the other is connected to a very nice dedicated pre, different speakers, source equipment, etc etc etc. So hard to do an apples to apples without swapping the pres, not going to happen lol.

It's easy for me to say the one is superior to the other, but at the same time say both have a familiar effortlessness and sweetness that breathe life into the music.

I would have to say the amps are definitely having a significant affect on SQ.
 
As far as amps go, the first watt is the most important. If that first one is good, so will the rest be, up to a point. Mid-fi amps are generally more similar than different. Lots of people use pro amps for home audio. Lots of good clean power for cheap, mostly. But the amp can only work with the signal it is given....
 
Conventional wisdom indicates that the preamp typically shapes the sound more than the amp and that tube preamp/solid solid state amp is preferable to the other way around.

I had a friend with Klipschorns driven by a GX10ES. He was constantly trying different things including McIntosh and Dynaco tube amps, but he always came back to the Sony.
 
Pre-amplifier, gets my vote.
Wisdom from years of experience.
One places the best cartridge one can afford on a table for what reason?
It all starts there.
Same with the pre.
Trust this a cheap pair of speakers when connected up to a C28 pre and a MC2105 amplifier will sound fantastic.
Not so a pair of L-100's mated to a RCA surround sound.

On tube equipment, I prefer a SS pre mated to a tube amplifier.
 
The pre-amp drives the power amp. The power amp drives the speakers. So each is of equal importance in this regard.

I guess it would be possible to have a preamp which drove the amplifier well but didn't do well as a source selector, had a lousy phono preamp, poor channel separation, or any other number of poor characteristics. So in this regard the preamp has far more variables.
 
I believe your speakers are the most important components in your system.
I have tried all the combo's, including, tube, tube, SS, SS, pre SS - tube power, tube - pre, SS power.
My most expensive system was one of my worst, it had a 4 - chassis tube pre-amp, driving a pair of mono-blocks, each of which had a quad of genuine Western Electric 300 B's in a push-pull circuit. More than one designer has failed to make 300 B's sound good in a push-pull circuit.
There is nothing that can compensate for poor quality or mis-matched speakers.
 
anything you put in the signal path can and will effect the sound and everyone is going to have a different take based on their experiences.

Where to put the money in depends on where you are now with your system and where you want to go.

you can change any component in your audio chain and get vast changes in the audio. the challenge is figuring out how you want to change it and fining the right component to change in your setup to get you closer to your goal. heck some of us have made that a life pursuit, and just as you get kinda settled, your taste changes.... lol.

probably a better way to approach things is to say what you have now and how you wanna change it. likely a lot of experiences here can be shared to give you the sound your looking for, or, get you closer.

so the question back to you is, what do you want to change about what you have now....
 
If your current Power Amplifier has enough power for your speakers, I would focus more on the Preamplifier.

Tube Preamplifier to Tube Power Amplifier would be best for “Tube” sound. I have tried both SS Preamplifier to Tube Power Amplifier and Tube Preamplifier to SS Power Amplifier. I got more of the “Tube” sound with SS Preamplifier to Tube Power Amplifier. I also think it just depends on the equipment you’re using as well.

What I have found is that you just need try different things and see what works for you. There has been times where I was hoping for a certain sound and didn’t get what I was looking for but still ended up being happy with the out come. That’s the beauty out this hobby the possibilities are endless.
 
Haven't tried it myself, but a friend of mine has Sansui AU-9900 and NAD 3020.
  1. When he connected the NAD 3020 preamp section to the AU-9900 power amp section, he said the resultant sound is more like the NAD.
  2. When he connected the AU-9900 preamp section to the NAD 3020 power amp section, he said the resultant sound is more like the Sansui, but with bigger distortion.
It seems preamp has bigger influence on the resultant sound, but it probably only applies on his case. From this thread, it seems it's power amp that has bigger influence on the resultant sound.

Interesting thread, because I'm also looking for a 3 channel power amplifier (or three monoblock amplifiers) for my Sansui AU-7900's power amp section. I wonder which amplifier would be best to preserve the distinctive "Sansui sound" that I've grown to love.

Kreshna-Aryaguna-Nurzaman-Sansui-AU-7900.jpg

I always wonder what power amplifier would be best to pair with the preamp section of this amp.
 
IMHO In your case definitely a Preamp. You have a ton of clean power driving your speakers with the GX10ES. I have a Luxman R-113 preamp out to a cd input of a Denon AVR direct mode. What a difference in the warm sound. You can pick up a preamp pretty cheap. You can also utilize the GX10ES preamp if desired. Best of both worlds.
 
I think damacman and innkeeper nailed it.

It all goes back to that brilliant old saying. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Everything imparts something to the sound and no single formula applies to all gear and ears.

With that said it's been my experience that a great preamp and amp can make low/mid end speakers sound far better than one would ever expect. So I am the black sheep amongst those who place most importance on speakers. Especially given an amp being asked to deliver more power than it can and clipping is a death sentence for tweeters and more. Just one scenario with unbalanced priorities.

As others point out, these are "generalizations" without specifics.

My 2c. Never pay more ;)
 
once i put my tubed audio research preamp in place in front of my ADCOM 555II, i never looked back. the preamp is the very heart of your system and i found that the goodness passed right through to the power amp. good solid state amps from adcom and parasound will serve you nicely without breaking the bank.
 
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