Preamp puzzle - power supplies, tubes vs. solid state, volume controls...

[sls4321]

I'm certain Peter Walker wouldn't agree there is any "planned colouring", at least not when the tone controls are set to the neutral position. He argued that an ideal amplifier should be like a wire with gain, so would totally refute the concept of a "Quad sound".

Exactly, but the Quad 34 has the tilt control, one of PW's great creations.

 

[naimnut]

Thanks, all, for sharing your thoughts and comments. But here's another question - do preamps "clip" in the same way that power amps do? And I guess another question follows on, given that passive preamps function without any power whatsoever, what is the role of the power supply in the preamp?

 

[Mike Reed]

do preamps "clip" in the same way that power amps do? And I guess another question follows on, given that passive preamps function without any power whatsoever, what is the role of the power supply in the preamp?

I'll hazard a guess here. Yes, they can, if you overload an input (depending on your take on 'clipping') My first ever pre. with meters clearly shows that trend, though to what degree does depend upon overload capacity, I guess. The power supply in a pre. regulates (gives) power to the small amplification usually found in an active pre., especially if it has on-board phono stage(s).

 

[Arkless Electronics]

Active pre amps can clip but don't in practice (especially when the vol control is at the front), Passive pres can't clip.
Active pres need power cos they're active.... they have power gain and sometimes voltage gain. Unfortunately I believe I'd be wasting my time to go into detail so that's the gist of it!