Using a Preamp and no central amp.

[EternaLightWith]

I was wondering, I'm thinking of building a tube pre. and I'd like to build an power amp after that. But one thing at a time.
Could I finish my tube pre. and just run wires from it to the speakers? So that way I could have little power amps in the botton of each speaker enclosure?

If this is feasible, would it also be feasible to build one large power amp later and put it next to the tube pre. That way I'd still have the "powered" speakers, essentially I'd be biamp-ing, right?

Just brain storming

David

[Original Burnedfingers]

David

A tube preamp as well as a SS preamp is designed to provide a line level signal that can be used by a power amp. The gain provided by a preamp is usually anywhere from unity gain to a neighborhood of around 2.5-3.0volts peak to peak. This will not be enough to drive speakers, hence the word preamp.

In other words no it won't work you will still need a amp/power amp to run your speakers.


Biamping means to splitting the signal. A crossover is employed, either a passive or an electronic crossover or a combination of both. The concept requires either having speakers that are wired to biamp or the knowledge required to split the low and the high frequency section in the speaker crossover. In the case of no internal crossover in the speaker enclosure the crossover will be the electronic or passive network apart from the speaker. Gear needed to biamp would be 1) a preamp 2) a stereo two way crossover 3) an amplifier for each channel of low frequency 4) an amplifier for each channel of high frequency.





Joe

[Brett]

Originally posted by EternaLightWith
I was wondering, I'm thinking of building a tube pre. and I'd like to build an power amp after that. But one thing at a time.
Could I finish my tube pre. and just run wires from it to the speakers?

No.
A preamp will need a large impedance in the input of the poweramp to work, say >50000 ohms. Most speakers are around 8 ohms, so they will look like a short circuit to the preamp.

As well as needing voltage, a speaker needs current. A preamp may be able to deliver a few mA, and many speakers need a few amps.

You need some poweramps.

So that way I could have little power amps in the botton of each speaker enclosure?

Please don't put amps in speakers. Electronic components are microphonic to varying degrees, and tubes are about the worst. The vibration from the speaker will be picked up by the amp, and amplified, causing distortion.