small Pre Amp with remote

[modemfish]

Hi.

Current setup is TV, Sonos, PC+usb > Audiolab MDAC > Bantam Monblocks > KEF LS50

I've been using the MDAC in pre-Amp mode with a Harmony Universal remote controlling the volume. However, the sound is greatly enhanced if i turn off the MDAC as a pre-amp. So i'm looking for a pre-amp with remote (to once again control the volume by the harmony) to feed the monoblocks. Second issue is that the real estate area is small.

Some options i'm thinking of are

Pro-ject pre Box Ds Pre Amplifier

Creek OBH-22

but would really welcome your suggestions.

Many thanks Mike

 

[John Duncan]

How do you control volume now when the MDAC's preamp functionality is turned off?

 

[modemfish]

via the source....

So with vairiable output

TV volume

PC volume

Sonos Volume (note this cannot be controlled via the harmony)

However if i set their outputs as fixed then (if the mdac is set as pre-amp) the mdac then controls the volume.

 

[davedotco]

Hi.

Current setup is TV, Sonos, PC+usb > Audiolab MDAC > Bantam Monblocks > KEF LS50

I've been using the MDAC in pre-Amp mode with a Harmony Universal remote controlling the volume. However, the sound is greatly enhanced if i turn off the MDAC as a pre-amp. So i'm looking for a pre-amp with remote (to once again control the volume by the harmony) to feed the monoblocks. Second issue is that the real estate area is small.

Some options i'm thinking of are

Pro-ject pre Box Ds Pre Amplifier

Creek OBH-22

but would really welcome your suggestions.

Many thanks Mike

If the pre-amp function on the £600+ M-dac is actually less good than the cheapish pre-amps you are considering, I would be returning the M-dac for a refund.

 

[Overdose]

There's always the option of the Westlake mods to improve the M-DAC!

 

[matt49]

Hi.

Current setup is TV, Sonos, PC+usb > Audiolab MDAC > Bantam Monblocks > KEF LS50

I've been using the MDAC in pre-Amp mode with a Harmony Universal remote controlling the volume. However, the sound is greatly enhanced if i turn off the MDAC as a pre-amp. So i'm looking for a pre-amp with remote (to once again control the volume by the harmony) to feed the monoblocks. Second issue is that the real estate area is small.

Some options i'm thinking of are

Pro-ject pre Box Ds Pre Amplifier

Creek OBH-22

but would really welcome your suggestions.

Many thanks Mike

If the pre-amp function on the £600+ M-dac is actually less good than the cheapish pre-amps you are considering, I would be returning the M-dac for a refund.

I agree. Either there's something wrong with the MDAC, or your set up isn't "optimized". When using the MDAC as preamp, do you have the volume of your sources defeated? Which audio player does your PC use and how is it set up?

Matt

 

[Big Nads and Woofer]

I have very similar setup like yours with the bantam monoblocks and use a raspberry pi or Spotify as my source. I've been toying with the idea of a preamp myself and have been looking at the Tisbury audio preamp, good reviews but no remote unfortunately. I did find this thoughhttp://www.custom-hifi-cables.co.uk/home/hifi-components/pp1-passive-preamplifier It lools like they have a remote version in the pipeline. In regards to the preamp of the mdac, from reviews I've read the preamp doesn't do well.

 

[davedotco]

I have very similar setup like yours with the bantam monoblocks and use a raspberry pi or Spotify as my source. I've been toying with the idea of a preamp myself and have been looking at the Tisbury audio preamp, good reviews but no remote unfortunately. I did find this thoughhttp://www.custom-hifi-cables.co.uk/home/hifi-components/pp1-passive-preamplifier It lools like they have a remote version in the pipeline. In regards to the preamp of the mdac, from reviews I've read the preamp doesn't do well.

I have read similar things and have put it down to audiophoolishness.

After all, if a £600 + dac cannot implement a digital volume control to be 'effectively transparent' then what on earth are they doing?

I am aware that the BS surrounding the M-Dac is of epic proportions but if there is a real difference in performance when used as a pre-amp, then clearly there is something wrong with the design.

 

[bluedroog]

It depends on the listening volume, if it is quite low then being digital the signal will be degraded as bits are shredded. How this plays out in practice is another thing but the theory is certainly there. Perhaps OP should try some attenuators between the DAC and amp and see how they get on using the digital volume in the upper reaches? Worth a try.

 

[davedotco]

It depends on the listening volume, if it is quite low then being digital the signal will be degraded as bits are shredded. How this plays out in practice is another thing but the theory is certainly there. Perhaps OP should try some attenuators between the DAC and amp and see how they get on using the digital volume in the upper reaches? Worth a try.

The M-Dac uses 32 bit processing. Even assuming that your system can actually resolve 20 bits, which is highly unlikely, that is 12 bits that you have to play with.

This will give you a volume control with a range of 72dB, ie more than you will ever need. The only thing that could make such a control audible is poor design or implimentation, to my mind unacceptable at that price.

 

[modemfish]

Maybe it's the first signs of madness.

So i do my music listening via the PC - using Foobar2000 with the ASIO output as per the user guide.

As i've been using the pre-amp setting of the Mdac i've previously have set the foobar (volume to 100) But as per the discussions above

setting foobar volume to say 10% and then cranking the volume up on the M-Dacmuch higher - (viz to as best a comparison output level as equal before)

seems to have improved the situation. But as i say i could just be crazy. Need to to more testing.

 

[davedotco]

Maybe it's the first signs of madness.

So i do my music listening via the PC - using Foobar2000 with the ASIO output as per the user guide.

As i've been using the pre-amp setting of the Mdac i've previously have set the foobar (volume to 100) But as per the discussions above

setting foobar volume to say 10% and then cranking the volume up on the M-Dacmuch higher - (viz to as best a comparison output level as equal before)

seems to have improved the situation. But as i say i could just be crazy. Need to to more testing.

I find the multiple level controls in the software somewhat confusing and tedious. At some point I am going to have to do some reading up on this.

My ideal wired system would involve either a Mac or a Sonos Connect via usb and optical respectively, into a dac pre-amp driving active speakers. I would want to set up the Mac or Connect to output 'bit perfect', then use the volume control on the dac pre-amp. The active speakers usually have trim controls, so they can be set to optimise the volume range on the dac pre-amp.

 

[Big Nads and Woofer]

Not many suggestions of a preamp with remote then. I see icon audio have this...

http://www.iconaudio.com/portfolio-item/passive-passive-pre-amp/

In regards to the bantams you could try tweaking with the high/low input options and also have a play about with the gain settings. You want to be using full volume on Foobar so maybe tweak the bantams hopefully you'll find one setting that gives decent control.