Hi all,
I have a MC275 power amp and I'm finding that at low volume levels (50-60dB) the sound lacks low frequency oomph. At higher listening levels (70dB-80dB) the sound fills in nicely. My source is digital music fed from a DAC into a preamp and MC275. Would changing the preamp provide a better listening experience at low volume levels or am I totally looking in the wrong place?
The preamps I'm considering are:
Preamp 1:
Gain 28.5 dB
Max output 5.5 Vrms
Output impedance 100 ohms
Preamp 2:
Gain 25 dB
Max output 20 Vrms
Output impedance 100 ohms
Preamp 3:
Gain 15 dB
Max output 8 Vrms
Output impedance 250 ohms
My MC275 has the following specs:
Input sensitivity is 1.7v using unbalanced connectors
Gain: 23.2 dB from the 4-ohm tap according to Stereophile using unbalanced inputs
Power: 2x 75watts into 4/8/16 ohms
I have a MC275 power amp and I'm finding that at low volume levels (50-60dB) the sound lacks low frequency oomph. At higher listening levels (70dB-80dB) the sound fills in nicely. My source is digital music fed from a DAC into a preamp and MC275. Would changing the preamp provide a better listening experience at low volume levels or am I totally looking in the wrong place?
The preamps I'm considering are:
Preamp 1:
Gain 28.5 dB
Max output 5.5 Vrms
Output impedance 100 ohms
Preamp 2:
Gain 25 dB
Max output 20 Vrms
Output impedance 100 ohms
Preamp 3:
Gain 15 dB
Max output 8 Vrms
Output impedance 250 ohms
My MC275 has the following specs:
Input sensitivity is 1.7v using unbalanced connectors
Gain: 23.2 dB from the 4-ohm tap according to Stereophile using unbalanced inputs
Power: 2x 75watts into 4/8/16 ohms
Last edited:
Hi,
Build something like this into your preamp :
Baffle Step Compensation
However make the capacitor bigger, so it only
works in the low bass, as a loudness control.
Changing pre-amps won't make much difference.
rgds, sreten.
I live in a block of flats so cannot crank the volume.
My amplifier has a similar circuit permanently used.
Build something like this into your preamp :
Baffle Step Compensation
However make the capacitor bigger, so it only
works in the low bass, as a loudness control.
Changing pre-amps won't make much difference.
rgds, sreten.
I live in a block of flats so cannot crank the volume.
My amplifier has a similar circuit permanently used.
Last edited:
I second those recommendations, you need to compensate for decreased low frequency hearing sensitivity at the volumes you typically listen.
Wrt output level of your DAC and input sensitivity of your amp you would not need an active preamp.
An autoformer volume control would work great here; they are known to maintain full bodied sound at low level listening and deliver transparency no active preamp can match.
An autoformer volume control would work great here; they are known to maintain full bodied sound at low level listening and deliver transparency no active preamp can match.
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