Difference between line out and preamp out

what's the difference between a preamps line output and the actual output of the preamp I think that's a great question it's from diego in bilbao wherever the heck where the heck is Bilbao sounds exotic I don't know hey Paul I'd like to know which transformations are done in a preamp to the signal from a line out to the pre out apart from volume attenuation if the preamp were at maxed volume the signal would be the same as the line out what would happen if I connect a line out to a power amp okay that's a great question as I said so line out is essentially a buffered output that comes before the volume control and I'll explain that in a sec cause that you might think well that's obvious but maybe it's not and then the preamp output is following the volume and the balance control so that as you turn the volume up and down the preamp out which is feeding the power amp input turns the level up and down so years ago we had something that some of you may not even know what the hell a tape recorder right a cassette deck a reel-to-reel whatever we had we had tape recorders and we used to have what's called lying in a tape in tape out and that was a sense that the tape out was essentially the same thing as lying that's become line out and you didn't want the volume control affecting the recording level and so what we did when we designed a preamp is we simply tapped before the volume control which back then used to be a pot a potentiometer and then of course you'd have a balance control potentiometer out there as well so technically well let's back up a little bit technically a preamp is a series of inputs a source selector whether it's electronic or click-click-click so you're choosing one of those sources and then of volume control and perhaps a-line stage or something afterwards to amplify the signal so if we just look at it that simply right after the selector the input selector if we just tap off that point before it goes to the volume control and put that over to a set of outputs that's a line out now most companies including PS audio buffer the line out so that whatever is being connected to the line out doesn't come back and interact with the preamp so it's isolated but that's essentially it so it's just it's it's a buffered output before the volume control now what happens if you plug that directly into a power amp well if the power amp has volume control no problem if it doesn't gonna be loud as hell basically that's basically it so I hope that answers your question since the last time we were here which was going on two weeks now yeah I think that's I think two weeks ago I I spent another Sunday doing videos and and here we are again but but look at the if you can see over here are the tomatoes I've got look at the last time they were about here and in two weeks they've grown this one here's above the things and so I can't wait this there's a big honkin tomato right there I don't know what kind that's a black team whatever that is and what is that well I can't it looks like a communist but probably not so it see without my glasses I can't see squat anyway enough on tomatoes got squash growing over here looking looking pretty good in the McGowan garden thanks for the question about lying out I'll talk to you tomorrow or maybe Chris and I've been working with Chris Bruin Haber to try and get him integrated into the ASP all series and and I'm gonna set up a thing that says ask Chris so you can ask specific speaker related questions to to Chris brew neighbor are a resident speaker genius so I don't know if I'll see you tomorrow but I'll certainly see you in a day or so okay take it easy [Music] [Laughter] [Music] you

Channel: Paul McGowan, PS Audio

Views: 83,547

Keywords: Paul 53, Paul 35

Id: 6LOagfedOOA

Length: 4min 54sec (294 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 29 2020