[Sasha]

Can someone suggest a very transparent line level active 3-way signal splitter that would allow a pre-amp to drive 3 amps while maintaining proper impedance (splitter would have very high input impedance presented to pre-amp and very low output impedance)?

[brucek]

There's no reason a solid state pre-amp can't drive three solid state amplifiers.

Certainly, short, low capacitance interconnects would deserve more importance, but the resultant input impedance of the power amps (~1/3) should still be well within the 10:1 ballpark load impedance ratio required of a voltage bridge.

Compared to running your pristine pre-amp signal through an additional stage, I think a passive split would win out unless your pre-amp was tubes or passive itself.

brucek

[Sasha]

There's no reason a solid state pre-amp can't drive three solid state amplifiers.

Certainly, short, low capacitance interconnects would deserve more importance, but the resultant input impedance of the power amps (~1/3) should still be well within the 10:1 ballpark load impedance ratio required of a voltage bridge.

Compared to running your pristine pre-amp signal through an additional stage, I think a passive split would win out unless your pre-amp was tubes or passive itself.

brucek

If there was no reason then obviously I would not be asking.
Pre-amp is solid state and there is very noticable degradation in sound quality, bas becomes bloated.
So the question stands.

[brucek]

Pre-amp is solid state and there is very noticable degradation in sound quality, bas becomes bloated.

OK, that's interesting. The effect of splitting causes the overall input amplifier's impedance to lower, and so the source output impedance ratio combined with the cable against the load create a first order low-pass filter that tends to attenuate higher frequencies. I can't imagine why it would have an effect on low frequencies?

brucek

[Sasha]

OK, that's interesting. The effect of splitting causes the overall input amplifier's impedance to lower, and so the source output impedance ratio combined with the cable against the load create a first order low-pass filter that tends to attenuate higher frequencies. I can't imagine why it would have an effect on low frequencies?

brucek

Have no idea. Initially I thought I heard attenuated high frequencies, but it turned out that HF level remained the same, it is low frequencies that became lacking and what was left of it was so bloated that it gave an impression of frequency tilt.
An alternative (and preferred solution) to 3-way active splitter would be 6 channel DAC that allows stereo signal to be brought to all channels (not your typical multichannel DAC), but could not find such device, so I am now exploring line level splitter options.