2ch observation

Asere

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I currently own the MH Ikura turntable, Lounge Audio lcr mk3, Parasound hca 1500a amp and avr x4200, parasound zpre3 stereo preamp.
The setup is turntable connected to lounge to zpre3 to avr to parasound amp.
I have been doing A/B testing for fun and find when listening straight to the x4200 phono and then with lounge with zpre3 they both sound about the same.
Now when the lounge is connected to the parasound amp (omitting the x4200 and zpre3) I hear more clarity.
Is this because the receiver is the weakest link?
 

ddude003

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In a perfect world phono stages, preamps, amps and AVRs would all sound the same, err a straight wire from point a to z... Alas, we live in an imperfect world and phono stages, preamps, amps and AVRs all end up adding something along the way... And unfortunately that something is not always so swift...

Forward to your question if your AVR is your weakest link... I would say yes as it is a phono stage, a preamp, an amp and a DAC, tuner and video switcher all rolled into one... That is a lot of stuff to cram into one box... And Maxwell, Tesla and Faraday have a lot to inform you of on this subject...

Now to be more precise, your lounge phono stage looks to supply 1 volt as output... Standard line level is 2 volts... So, I am thinking that you may be seeing an issue with how each of the other components, AVR or zpre3, deal with this gain structure... And of course, the less things you have in your signal chain the better things will sound... To wit the lounge phono stage directly into the amp... How do you attenuate that?
 
Last edited:

Asere

Senior Member
Thread Starter
Joined
Apr 14, 2017
Messages
1,464
Location
Texas
More  
Main Amp
Denon AVR X4200W
Additional Amp
Parasound HCA 1500A
Universal / Blu-ray / CD Player
Oppo 103D
Front Speakers
SVS Prime Towers
Center Channel Speaker
SVS Prime
Surround Speakers
SVS Prime Satellites
Front Height Speakers
Proficient
Rear Height Speakers
Proficient
Subwoofers
Dual Kreisel DXD 12012, PSA S3000i
Video Display Device
Samsung PNF8500
Screen
60"
Remote Control
Harmony Ultra
Streaming Subscriptions
Panamax M5300 PM, Monster HTS 3600
In a perfect world phono stages, preamps, amps and AVRs would all sound the same, err a straight wire from point a to z... Alas, we live in an imperfect world and phono stages, preamps, amps and AVRs all end up adding something along the way... And unfortunately that something is not always so swift...

Forward to your question if your AVR is your weakest link... I would say yes as it is a phono stage, a preamp, an amp and a DAC, tuner and video switcher all rolled into one... That is a lot of stuff to cram into one box... And Maxwell, Tesla and Faraday have a lot to inform you of on this subject...

Now to be more precise, your lounge phono stage looks to supply 1 volt as output... Standard line level is 2 volts... So, I am thinking that you may be seeing an issue with how each of the other components, AVR or zpre3, deal with this gain structure... And of course, the less things you have in your signal chain the better things will sound... To wit the lounge phono stage directly into the amp... How do you attenuate that?
If I understood your question. When I directly connect the lounge to the parasound amp it's connected to the parasound stereo inputs. If I go that route the avr and zpre3 are not involved. The issue with that is one I would have to use the hca amp gain knob to attenuate the volume. (No avr involvement)
The straight connection from the lounge to amp gives a much lively sound.
 

ddude003

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Location
Somewhere Northeast of Kansas City Missouri
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Preamp, Processor or Receiver
PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium TubePre (2 channel+sub)
Main Amp
McIntosh MC152 SS Amp (2 channel)
Additional Amp
Yamaha RX-A850 Pro (the other 5 channels lol)
Computer Audio
MacBook Pro, Custom i7 7700k De-lid 2xAsus1080ti GFX Audirvana Studio, Hang Loose Convolver, Pulsar Massive & 8200, LiquidSonics, SoX
DAC
Chord Electronics Ltd. Qutest
Universal / Blu-ray / CD Player
Sony UBP-X700 /M Ultra HD 4K HDR & PS5
Front Speakers
Martin Logan ElectroMotion ESL
Center Channel Speaker
Martin Logan Motion C2
Surround Speakers
Martin Logan Motion 4
Surround Back Speakers
Martin Logan Motion 4 (yes, another set of these)
Subwoofers
Martin Logan Dynamo 700
Other Speakers or Equipment
Cifte 12AU7 NOS & Genalex Gold Lion Tubes in Pre
Video Display Device
Samsung The Premiere LSP7T UST Laser Projector
Screen
Elite Screens Aeon CLR3 0.8 Gain 103-inch
Remote Control
PrimaLuna, Lumin iApp, Samsung & Yamaha
Streaming Equipment
Netgear Nighthawk S8000 Streaming Switch, Lumin U1 Mini Streamer Transport
Streaming Subscriptions
QoBuz Studio Premier, Amazon Prime & Netflix
Other Equipment
ThrowRug, SaddleBlankets, WideBand & Bass Traps...
From what you said, it sounds like you need to find a preamp that sounds like nothing... :cool:
 
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