Hi. I have a question about my stereo system, which is centered around a Musical Fidelity A1 integrated amp. Thinking about buying a Promitheus TVC to supplement it. I am presently using the Musical Fidelity A1 only as an amp and not as a preamp, because I don't like it's preamp section. I achieve this through connecting my phono stage, the PS Audio GCPH, to the HT input. The A1's instruction manual provides elaborate warnings against using this input for other sources besides HT Processors, because the typical output of an ht processor is 1V whereas the line level, from what I can gather, is around 2V. Still by using the gain adjustments on the GCPH, I am able to send a signal through the HT input that does not have too much gain. Sounds pretty great.
Here's the problem. I just bought a Graham Slee Reflex M, because I thought I was dissatisfied with the GCPH. (I was dissatisfied until I switched to the HT input on the MFA1 and bypassed the preamp, now it sounds mighty fine). The Graham Slee Reflex has 41db of gain and an output of between .2V and 1.12V, but no gain control. With my cartridge, the Rega Exact 2, the output of the Graham Slee Reflex M would be about .7V. This doesn't sound bad for the 1V HT input on the Musical Fidelity A1, but I still need a passive preamp to control gain.
I was thinking about one of the Promitheus TVCs which are budget-priced and get rave reviews. But I'm afraid of blowing out the A1 or my speakers from too much gain, if the controls on the Promitheus unit are not particularly fine-tuned. What do you think about this? I love the A1 for amplication purposes. I'd hate to ditch it, but should I just go with a convenctional amp that can handle a line level signal? Any way to bypass the preamp on the MFA1 without using the HT input? If I use the Promitheus at a very low gain setting, will this diminish its performance and the value-added from including it in my system.
Thanks very much for your help!
Mike
