Preamp specs for a chipamp

[zenon]

Will this work well as a premp for the chipamp kits?

Preamp Specs:
Output Impedance (Main-RCA)<600Ohms
Pre Out 1V
Maximum Output 6V
Volume Range (Main) -70dB to +10.0dB (.5dB resolution)

[jleaman]

You should not need a pre-amp for a chip amp. have you tried to run it passively with a pot in the middle ?

[zenon]

I haven't built it yet.
I have a home theatre preamp in mind that I want to use with chipamp amplifiers so I just thought I would check into their compatability.

The idea is to have a mono chipamp run each stereo channel, and use stereo chipamps to run the rest of the HT channels. I was thinking that I may wire things such that for day-to-day listening I could use the HT preamp. Then maybe for more critical listening I could flip a switch that would make a direct path from the CD or such to the two monoblocks and use a resistor attenuator there.

Maybe I'm going the wrong way and should be asking the mfr???

What info should I provide them? Gain...... What else???

[Nuuk]

You should not need a pre-amp for a chip amp.

In theory you shouldn't but in practice they sound better with an active pre, or buffer stage!

[phn]

You need no gain. The CD/DVD player has all the output you need. Should be no problem running a chip amp with your processor, if I understand you correct.

And if I understand you correct again, you want to circumvent the processor when you listen to music. Then you need a volume pot somewhere between the CD/DVD player and chip amp. You could add a Buffer. Very minimalist.

Holler if I got you all wrong.

[jleaman]

Originally posted by Nuuk


In theory you shouldn't but in practice they sound better with an active pre, or buffer stage!

I disagree. Adding a buffer adds more problems and more cap's resistors etc etc components. having a gain glone and a dvd/cdplayer with a nice passive pot. Will sound better.

[karma]

sometimes, i just finished peters output buffer and it sounds a lot better. mind you i made a few changes

only because i was in a hurry and blew it up the first time.

[zenon]

Originally posted by phn
You need no gain. The CD/DVD player has all the output you need. Should be no problem running a chip amp with your processor, if I understand you correct.

And if I understand you correct again, you want to circumvent the processor when you listen to music. Then you need a volume pot somewhere between the CD/DVD player and chip amp. You could add a Buffer. Very minimalist.

Holler if I got you all wrong.

I'm really liking that buffer! It gives me such deja-vu of the cmoy op-amp based headphone amp I'll be building soon. I think I'm already starting to formulate what I'll do!

-I think I'll make the same "typical rotary switch volume control" usually used
-except the lowest notch will connect the gainclone to the HT source (no attenuation)
-The next position would need to be disconnected?? (such that when you go from HT source to buffer source there's no signal mixing)
-The rest of the positions will be the same array of resistors usually found
Does THIS make any sense???

Just basically saying that you would turn volume all the way "quiet" to be @ HT source.. Two notches louder would be direct buffered source @ min volume.. and the remaining positions would be regular volume control.

Finally, What's a typical gain of these gainclones? I'll double check with the mfr that the preamp will work nicely with the typical gain used.

[phn]

I considered a similar setup once. I was thinking of using the Creative DDTS-100 surround decoder. But I would then only use a simple toggle switch to circumvent the decoder. As for your solution, use whatever makes sense to you.

I don't have a chip amp and am not sure about the gain. I would guess typical gain is around 26 db. Kore-eda chip amp

[Nuuk]

I disagree. Adding a buffer adds more problems and more cap's resistors etc etc components. having a gain glone and a dvd/cdplayer with a nice passive pot. Will sound better.

What about if you are running a NOS DAC with an inverted GC?