Self on Audio, 2nd Edition

5

Precision preamplifier ’96, Part I

Sometimes you just feel that the world needs another preamplifier. Having put a lot of effort into power amplifiers and their problems in the meantime, I thought it would be interesting to see if the original Precision Preamplifier (Chapter 3) could be significantly improved.

The 5532-based moving-magnet disc stage was retained with a few changes (most importantly a cost-effective way to tighten up the RIAA accuracy) as attempts to make a hybrid stage that was quieter were not encouraging; a matter I still feel I have not got quite to the bottom of. The latter stages were radically altered to improve input selection crosstalk and upgrade the tone-control section by giving it variable turnover frequencies. A lot ...