The preamp is critically important, and is often the defining piece in a system. It's important, however, to remember that the preamplifier and amplifier must be a complementary pair.

I think preamplifiers are the unsung heroes of hi-fi.

Drive belts are the unsung heroes of hifi. Nobody reviews drive belts.

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Drive belts are the unsung heroes of hifi. Nobody reviews drive belts.

Taking your advice I deceided to check the drive belts in both my pre-amp and my power amp. No wonder I am not completely satisfied with my system, there were NO belts!
Where should I install belts in my components? Are there different belts for tube and solid state equipment? Should the belts use the "Golden ratio" for best results? Height, width and length? Is proper tension important in order to prevent problems with resonant frequences?
If I have a class D amplifier where can I get a digital two state belt?
Sorry that I have so many questions but you have opened my eyes to a whole new possibility for accurate sound.

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Drive belts are the unsung heroes of hifi. Nobody reviews drive belts.

My wife is very finnicky that way. She says BIC made the best and laments their passing.

By the way, she calls them "butt floss."

I am sure you have heard the saying, "Junk in, junk out."
You may have the best amp in the world but if the signal into it is not up-to-par the output is going to sound unpleasant.

Buddha: "butt floss"...this is the term that exotic dancers use when refering to their g-strings.

Both the pre-amp and amp are critical to the final sound. At least I cannot posit which is more important given that both have such an impact.

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"butt floss"...this is the term that exotic dancers use when refering to their g-strings.

And how exactly do you know that, Mike?

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as long as the pre-amplifier is not a defective unit or very bad constructed, what will define the sound will be the amplifier?

I look at this from a different perspective. Anything in the signal path can degrade the sound by an audible amount. So it's more a matter of what might mess up the sound rather than what "defines" the sound. The sound is supposed to be defined by what's on the CD (or LP or tape). I'll also mention that the #1 component that messes up sound the most is the room you listen in. Would you accept a preamp or amp with a frequency response that varies by 30 dB over the range from 20 to 300 Hz? Of course not! Yet this is exactly what happens in most domestic size rooms. Scary, but absolutely true.

--Ethan

From my personal experience with components in my own system, pre-amps have always had more effect on the 'sound' that various power amps.

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And how exactly do you know that, Mike?

It best we not discuss this matter, here.