Pre-amp help

[shades]

I thought i better give it a try here because im getting no help from the B&W forum. Anyway on with the Q's.

OK so here's the deal. I want to incorporate a 2ch listening system into my HT. I'm new to pre-amps so any info will help. What im trying to do is have a 2ch pre for audio but be able to send the signal to my prepro when not listening to music, like some of the integrateds out there...e.g. krells 400xi.

Now my HT is where i want it to be, but my 2ch needs to get better.

Is there any pre-amps out there with something like a HT passthrough.

I'd very much prefer a Mcintosh pre-amp or tube pre, but if this is not going to work, i'm open to suggestions. But i would love to stay in the Mac family if at all possible.

Now my system consists of

Rotel rsx 1056
Rotel rcd 1072
Mcintosh mc202
PS3-mostly for blu-ray
Oppo 981HD (soon to be for sale)
B&W 804S
B&W HTM4
B&W 601s3
B&W ASW825

[twitch54]

The easy answer is .......yes, many mfg offer HT pass through, I can't speak for "Mac" , check them out. Myself I'm an ARC guy and it is on their current line-up.

[Briz vegas]

Oi! B&W club heard that!

Some of these questions get passed over because they have been asked many times before. If you search the forum on this issue you will find many responses that are still valid.

I used a Conrad Johnson PV14ls2 for this very purpose. Excellent piece of gear. I have since moved to their CA200 which has ths same function via its passive pre stage. For me this was the best of both worlds as I had to upgrade my power amp anyway. In HT passthrough mode the CA200 is pretty much a straight power amp.

I did a comparison with a Krell integrated and for sound quality it was a no contest, but then again in the states the CA200 is about 3 times the price.

The current CJ pre is the PV15. Either the 14LS2 or the 15 are excellent, with the 14 offering a slightly more tube sound. The 14 was actually better looking than the 15 or my CA200 but that is a personal thing.

Of course a good CD player is the next thing after the pre.

[shades]

I heard alot of good things from the CJ line up. I must get out and audition some of the pre's. Hey briz just one more quick Q...do you have to leave the pre on when it's in the HT bypass mode?? Just wondering because i was interested in going tube maybe, and to me the pre would have to be on all the time. With tubes that can't be a good thing.

Thx for the replies guys.

[twitch54]

i was interested in going tube maybe, and to me the pre would have to be on all the time. With tubes that can't be a good thing.

Thx for the replies guys.

Generally speaking pre-amp tubes are good for a min of 5000 hrs, even upwards to 10,000.

[shades]

That long, that's pretty good. Thx for the reply twitch

[Briz vegas]

The CJ preamps are tube hybrid so there are only 2 tubes in the 14 and probably the same in the 15. Tube replacement costs would not be a concern.

..and yes, the pre needs to be on when watching movies or listening multi channel.

Bypass switches are a neat solution but don'r feel too restricted by the need to have one on your preamp. The alternative solution is to work out where unity gain is on the volume knob and set that volume when wanting to "bypass" the preamp.