difference between power amp and integrated amp
- Thread starter andis
- Start date
spirovious
Well-Known Member
Integrated amp come with extra circuit like preamp which contents volume control,Bass n Treble.Power amp just amplifies the audio signal and cant control the volume.Some professional amp come with volume control but no preamp in it.
Search the Forums. Your query has been answered many times before.
The interesting thing to note is that power amps tend to drop in price much more significantly than integrated amps in the used market. So if you are a bargain hunter or want to get more out of your budget, you might find used power amps better priced.
integrated amplifier = pre amplifier + tone control + power amplifier
receiver amplifier = radio receiver + pre amplifier + tone control + power amplifier
power amplifier = no tone controls and preamplifier only audio signal amplifier
" go for integrated amplifier if you dont have a matching preamaplifier with power amplifier, how significant is the word MATCHING "
any criteria for selecting the pre amplifier
receiver amplifier = radio receiver + pre amplifier + tone control + power amplifier
power amplifier = no tone controls and preamplifier only audio signal amplifier
" go for integrated amplifier if you dont have a matching preamaplifier with power amplifier, how significant is the word MATCHING "
any criteria for selecting the pre amplifier
Sjith, on a side note, I'm discovering new products such as DACs that can also act as preamps. Some of these products have digital only inputs while others have digital and analog inputs.
It makes for interesting pairing of say, DAC-Pre + Power Amp instead of the traditional DAC + Integrated.
The other interesting thing that can be done with a pre-power combo is to have a hybrid setup - i.e. tube pre + solid state power.
Here's another thing I've seen. In the budget-phile category, new or used, it is extremely difficult to get a Class AB 100W+ integrated amp - and I'm not really sure why. Most integrateds seem to be in the 50W-80W range. However, there seem to be many options available in power amps.
I appreciate your valuable response, which will certainly help me for getting proper amp
if so (dac as a pre) this combination will work ?
wdtv optical out > dac with volume control in front face > stereo power amp
analog out of 25k range dac can drive a stereo power amp
Some of these products have digital only inputs while others have digital and analog inputs
the dac's with analog input also so called DAC ?, while selecting the analog input in those dac's it passes the audio signal through it or its giving output after some processing ?
some manufactures are mentioning 100w or above in their integrated amplifier category spec./data sheets. if so they are in which class category ?
spirovious
Well-Known Member
There are few integrated amp which has digital input-
Home Theater System Surround Sound Amplifier DVD Player - Rotel PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
also USB input-
Cambridge Audio Azur 351A Integrated Amplifier for Stereo Hi Fi
Both has inbuilt DACs.So try demo of them.
Home Theater System Surround Sound Amplifier DVD Player - Rotel PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
also USB input-
Cambridge Audio Azur 351A Integrated Amplifier for Stereo Hi Fi
Both has inbuilt DACs.So try demo of them.
There are hybrids with all sorts of combinations.
DAC with digital preamp
DAC with analog preamp
DAC with integrated amp or integrated amp with DAC (like Peachtree Decco or NAD 3xx BEE with MDAC)
CD player or BD player with USB DAC
Network streamer with USB DAC
and so on...
( I actually wanted to create a thread on it)
Some DACs with inbuilt preamp may not be able to drive power amp properly (o/p impedance not low enough). The preamp section of such DACs is mainly to drive headphones.
If a DAC has both digital input as well as analog input, it certainly means its a preamp+DAC. While selecting the analog input, you are controlling the volume (while the preamp is also expected to do impedance matching).
Last edited:
Please do create a new thread on this!
My power amp is actually quite forgiving of the source and I was able to run it even without a preamp in the past (directly by feeding Squeezebox output into the power amp, and controlling volume through SB)
I recently bought an Audio-GD DAC that has a well implemented volume control that operates as an analog volume control and so doesn't drop bits. It has a switchable mode where you can make it run as a dedicated DAC or as a DAC+preamp. It has low gain and high gain options as well for various power amps. They have some really good products that you can check out.
Another reason why I like DAC+preamp (and I may be wrong here) is that in both cases, the quality of the power supply seems to matter quite a bit, and it would be an elegant solution for a hybrid product that could use the same power supply for both.
P.S. Can anyone give any examples of 100W+ integrated amps? I haven't found too many of them myself.
There are a LOT of integrated amps with 100+W power. These are just a few (with links to product page)
Rega 105W
CA 120W
Anthem 225W
W4S 250W
AVM 350W
Krell 275W
Rotel 120W
Accuphase 180W
Bryston 135W
Electrocompanient 125W
Thanks, Santy. That's a nice list with some legendary amps. The only problem with most amps in this list is their cost. Most of them are in the $2000+ range, while I was looking for amps in the budget-phile price range (roundabouts $1k and below). That is where IMHO, there is an acute shortage. I had mentioned that in my first post but neglected to mention it in my second. For example, what you get from Rega in this price range is the Brio-R which is only 50W. I was actually strongly considering it for my monitors, but since they were inefficient and power hungry (3.6ohms, 84db), I had to remove it from my list.
You will notice however that power amps are available in the $1k price range. Even the Odyssey Khartago which enjoys a really nice reputation and is a "strong" amp retails for about $900 and can sometimes be had for about $500 - $600 in Audiogon. Parasound Halo A23 designed by John Curl can also be had for a similar price, and it even operates in Class A for the first few watts.
Even some of the integrated options in the price range are mostly not the traditional Class AB (or Class A/AB), and seem to be Class XD or Class D. Maybe they're better/worse - but I don't know enough about them.
Last edited:
In my Marants PM80 Stereo Integrated Amplifier
Manual Says its 100 wpc in class AB mode and a selector switch for Class A Operation. In Class A 20 wpc
But
I dnt feel any noticable difference while selecting Normal mode to Class A mode or vice versa
Class A or AB related to the otput watts or to the % input signal utilization ?
spirovious
Well-Known Member
Professional power amp can be a cheaper solution with in built volume control like this one-
Behringer A500 600W Reference-Class Studio Power Amplifier | Musician's Friend
Behringer A500 600W Reference-Class Studio Power Amplifier | Musician's Friend
Well, class a vs class ab is really about quality, not quantity. Class a is supposed to be superior or more true in terms of music reproduction. However it has the drawback of being very inefficient in terms of electricity consumption and thus generates a huge amount of heat.
You know, I am finding the same thing. Component changes that are supposed to cause big differences in sound are sometimes just sounding the same.
I'm thinking it is because I either don't have a great selection of well recorded songs (I have flacs but the recording itself is hit and miss) or my speakers are not well positioned (and this is a serious constraint as I have a small living room).
Yes I agree with you in those lines. Integrated amp seems to be economical till a certain point in power specs. I haven't fully grasped the reason for this phenomenon especially when pre-power is supposed to add to the cost due to additional power supply and cabinet.
Join WhatsApp group to get HiFiMART.com Offers & Deals delivered to your smartphone!
