Help me with answers/ throw some light !

[Vinayak M]

Hi folks,

I'm totally new to this forum and wish to receive your help on the following....

A) Following three are about Pre-Amp & a Normal Amp
a.1) What is the diff between Pre Amp & Normal Amp
a.2) When to use a Pre Amp & when to use a normal amp
a.3) is it that the source of 1st level Audio Output ( say a CD/ Pendrive ) is connected to a pre-amp and then it's output is given to normal Amp

B) Following is about Stereo Amp & Power Amp
b.1) Are these two totally different or it's just a terminilogy being used

C) Comparsion upon audition
I visited to good listening Show rooms in Pune & Mubai, spent almost an hour at each location to listen to output delivered by some of the good amps like Norge, DNM/PACE, Dennon, Azure, Marantz, Yamaha, Onkyo etc. I used Two Songs- Thriller by Michale Jackson & One pure classical. Sorry to say, I found that the performance of all these makes was SAME at least I could not make out much difference. Even the shop keepers also acknowledged that "It's extremely difficult, to identify the difference acorss various brands". Well if it is so, then why there is a serious / broad diff in their prrices ??? Is it purely because of their Brand Premiums ????

D) Local Made amplifier- INR 3,200 Only
To respect the privacy I am unable to disclose the make, but this amp delivered almost "At Par Quality" top of that "This amp also had Loudness, High Treble Controls etc" which the aforesaid makes did not have.

E) Is there a Good shop on Lamington Road which offers "LOCAL/ ASSEMBLED" amps at rather low price...

D) Finally, a very specific question.
Is there a good DIY kit that is proven and available in Pune/ Mumbai, which can deliver Throbbing Base ( I mean really a Quality Bass, not the one that is heard during Ganapati Festival ) + can have Midrange Control ( only DNM/ PACE ) offeres this control. OR anybody can offer me an Assembled Amp at low price which can deliver QUALITY Outut of say 30~40 Wattt- RMS/ Channel.

Wishing you all for Diwali and enlighten me with answers to the above.

Best Regards....

 

[afj]

a1 - a pre amp controls the bass, treble, volume and also contains software such as dts etc. a 'normal' amp is an integrated amp which is a pre amp and a power amp together. you cannot power speakers on a pre amp alone

a2 - you use a pre amp and a power amp as separates. or you use an integrated amp as a single unit

a3 - you connect the source to either to the integrated amp or the pre amp, depending on your set up

pre amp + power amp = integrated amp

b1. a stereo amp is a 2 channel amplifier. it can be either intergrated or standalone power

c - there are differences - each to his own ears

d - if you liked the sound of it then you should go for it. imo there are brands out there which are more refined that others and give better sound quality

e - no idea

f - no idea

 

[hydra]

Based on my limited knowledge:

A
a1. You can use a separate Pre-amp + Power Amp combination or an Integrated amp (which has a preamp & a poweramp in one box). By a normal amp, you probably mean an Integrated Amp.

A preamp does the following:
- Accepts input signal from multiple sources (CD/TV/Tuner etc.)
- Lets you select which source you want to amplify
- Has tone controls (most of the time)
- Has a volume control
- Sends a signal to the power amp to be amplified

The power amp does only one thing. It takes the signal a preamp gives it, and it amplifies it. The speakers are connected to the power amp.

a2. Well, separating the preamp stage and the power amp stage:
- Improves the quality of sound (when done right)
- Lets you tailor the sound to some extent (by changing preamps)
- Gives you flexibility in the upgrade path (to a large extent)

A Pre + Power combination will cost quite a bit more than an equivalent (in terms power rating and quality) Integrated Amp of the same make. This is a sweeping generalisation, and I'm making it only to simplify the explanation and give you a starting point

So, there isn't any particular application where you will need to choose a pre + power combination over an integrated amp. It depends on your taste, budget and ability to percieve a difference between using integrated amps and pre-power combinations.

a3. A source (like CD) is connected to a preamp and the preamp feeds signal to the power amp. An integrated amp takes signal and amplifies it, all in one box.

B. The answer is above.

C. There is a difference in the sound that different amps produce. Some people can make out the difference, some people can't. If you feel there is no difference, you are lucky
If you listen to a few setups for a while (extended listening) over time with familiar music, perhaps you will be able to make out a difference in the way music is presented by different setups. Over time, you will know what to listen for, to understand the differences between the way different sets of equipment reproduce sound.

D. The quality of sound an amplifier can produce generally does not depend on the number of "features" it has. You should choose what sounds best to you. Tone controls don't always really help improve sound. In fact, in some cases they degrade the sound, but that's a whole another topic

E & D (second D). Sorry I can't help you there (not from Mumbai). But I'm sure it will not be difficult to source DIY kits there.

 

[az2325]

@ vinayak,afj and hydra. These terminologies are not discussed in most of the discussions. So people like me sort to assume . Thanks for initiating a thread like this and bringing clarity.

Antony

 

[magma]

Hi folks,

I'm totally new to this forum and wish to receive your help on the following....

A) Following three are about Pre-Amp & a Normal Amp
a.1) What is the diff between Pre Amp & Normal Amp
a.2) When to use a Pre Amp & when to use a normal amp
a.3) is it that the source of 1st level Audio Output ( say a CD/ Pendrive ) is connected to a pre-amp and then it's output is given to normal Amp

B) Following is about Stereo Amp & Power Amp
b.1) Are these two totally different or it's just a terminilogy being used

C) Comparsion upon audition
I visited to good listening Show rooms in Pune & Mubai, spent almost an hour at each location to listen to output delivered by some of the good amps like Norge, DNM/PACE, Dennon, Azure, Marantz, Yamaha, Onkyo etc. I used Two Songs- Thriller by Michale Jackson & One pure classical. Sorry to say, I found that the performance of all these makes was SAME at least I could not make out much difference. Even the shop keepers also acknowledged that "It's extremely difficult, to identify the difference acorss various brands". Well if it is so, then why there is a serious / broad diff in their prrices ??? Is it purely because of their Brand Premiums ????

D) Local Made amplifier- INR 3,200 Only
To respect the privacy I am unable to disclose the make, but this amp delivered almost "At Par Quality" top of that "This amp also had Loudness, High Treble Controls etc" which the aforesaid makes did not have.

E) Is there a Good shop on Lamington Road which offers "LOCAL/ ASSEMBLED" amps at rather low price...

D) Finally, a very specific question.
Is there a good DIY kit that is proven and available in Pune/ Mumbai, which can deliver Throbbing Base ( I mean really a Quality Bass, not the one that is heard during Ganapati Festival ) + can have Midrange Control ( only DNM/ PACE ) offeres this control. OR anybody can offer me an Assembled Amp at low price which can deliver QUALITY Outut of say 30~40 Wattt- RMS/ Channel.

Wishing you all for Diwali and enlighten me with answers to the above.

Best Regards....

here are some very lay answers but they simplfy things for the noobs
(Youll have to give me hours to get to the details!)
some details have already been given above

A) i assume when you speak of a normal amp you mean a single pc unit that is cabable of taking a signal from a cdp etc and then outputting analogue audi speaker signals to your loudspeakers If the assumption is correct then to simplfy
Normal AMP = Pre amp + power amp
A normal amp as you call it has two sections a pre and power
When you get into higher end audio you can buy these sections separately for better results

As stereo amp is just what you cal your "normal amp" - but it drives only 2 speakers its not a home theatre amp ( as laymen call) to drive 4 speakersl

c) if shopkeepers cant hear the difference - all it tells you is the quality of the shopkeepers
you will never hear a differnce in a ezone , big bazaar etc place
only a quiet listening rooms will do justice
Another important point of note is - exactly what ou want to hear
if you are hearing just the music as you hear in most car audio systems and are satisfied then yes theres very litle differnce
Look for things more than just the music
Can you pinpoint exactly where the singer is , where the drummer is , wheres your lead and bass guiters
And if you listen to classical - you can even tell not just the area but even the height freom where each musical instrument is being played

There is a forum member here
In his home, the speakers disappear - the music seems to be played from the neighbours apartment-absolutely phenomenal

High end amps sometimes have NO bass and treble setting s at all
these settings just color the music and viel the real characteristics of an amp

If you really want what you have described in the last post you will be happy with lamington road
Bang opposite the police chowki
1st floor
he will custom make you the amp and speakers too

though i do advice you get exposed to what youre missing by visiting places like Viola,lakozy Boomerang at fort etc -