Do active speakers need preamps​?

                                                 Do active speakers need preamps?

A streaming player, a pair of active speakers, how cool and refreshing to listen to music! But tossing is human nature, especially for music lovers. Many friends will ask whether active speakers need a preamp. This needs to be briefly said.

In the analog era, the output level of the audio source is not high, about 1V. If it is directly connected to the power amplifier, the impedance mismatch will lead to a great reduction in various indicators, and the subjective sense of hearing, especially at low volume, is very bad. The stage amplifier plays a role in signal selection, amplification, and matching the impedance of the front and rear ends. In an excellent audio system, the pre-stage plays an important role in adjusting the sound direction of the system.

In the digital age, audio equipment can achieve single-ended 4V level output and the indicators are very good. Directly driving the rear stage is fully competent, which is one of the reasons why I recommend "Digital Broadcasting + Active". However, many people are still not used to this original method, and many of the various music productions are of poor quality. Another point is that many of the analog audio outputs in digital audio sources use digital volume control. , some dynamics are lost at low volumes. At this time, adding a pre-amplifier can adjust the tone, sound direction, and fuller performance at low volume.

Personal suggestion, when setting up a "digital broadcast + active" sound system, you can ignore the pre-stage, especially the digital broadcast with pre-output (pre-output) and analog volume control. Basically, this can satisfy most people, In most cases, the need for music appreciation is met. If you can only listen to music at a low volume, or have higher requirements for the sound of the system, you can purchase another preamp at this time. What needs to be explained, the preamplifier circuit is simple, but the high-quality preamplifier is expensive, and the sound performance has a great relationship with the matching of the front and rear ends and the subjective feeling of the listeners, so it is best to actually audition when purchasing.

Written by : Davecl Audio.