[Waker]

I listened to a pair of trade-in AR VTM 200s that my dealer is offering.  At home, I have a Wadia 861SE, which has its own pre-amp with digital volume control.  I run the Wadia into a SS amp.  I have no other formats or devices--I only play CDs in the system, so I have no use for a pre-amp. Although the dealer set up the AR VTMs via a Wadia 561 player and into Maggie 3.6, as I have at home, he also ran the AR amps behind an AR line-stage pre-amp. I did not ask to have the pre-amp taken out.  In later discussion, I got the impression that AR amps are best presented through their own tube pre-amps, or, at least, some type of pre-amp.  My question is: how would these large AR monoblocks respond to just the Wadia 861?   

[toobluvr]

Running cdp w volume control direct to amp will give an equivalent sonic signature as to using a passive line stage.  Some like it some don't.

See this thread for relevant comments on both the passive sound and the active sound, and pros and cons of each.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=77978.0

If you do some searching I'm sure you will find tons of other posts / threads on passive vs active.

At the end of the day, you just gotta use your own ears to decide your preference.

[Bemopti123]

I do not believe that the Wadia's output are necessarily equivalent to just a passive device with digital attenuation.  The way I understood it is that it has the drive of active.  Why not try without it and see how you like the sound signature?

I once met someone who was a tube amp maker (or highly technical DIY person) who had built his SET+computer disc transport+single fullrange driver in an all in one unit and who sold his wares on Ebay.  I sold him a pair of amps and took him and delivered the speakers.  He had designed large SET based on the 845 tube and was running them to a pair of cheap Brit speakers on a pair of large super braided CAT cables, his one and only source was a Wadia 840.  That was about almost 9 years ago.  For what I could notice, it had enough drive. 

[toobluvr]

OK...could be my bad.   I just assumed.  I have owned several cd players with built in volume controls and they struck me as having passive-like qualities when run direct into amp.  That is, slightly thin, bleached and lacking in the fullness, tonal color, dimensionality and harmonic richness that I prefer.

Maybe the Wadia is a different animal.   Apologies to Waker if I gave ya a bum steer.

[Steve]

OK...could be my bad.   I just assumed.  I have owned several cd players with built in volume controls and they struck me as having passive-like qualities when run direct into amp.  That is, slightly thin, bleached and lacking in the fullness, tonal color, dimensionality and harmonic richness that I prefer.

Maybe the Wadia is a different animal.   Apologies to Waker if I gave ya a bum steer.

Hi Toobluvr,

I seriously doubt the volume control is directly connected to the output jacks.  Most likely one of two scenarios. One, the volume control has a following tube/ss stage, or two, the volume control is "digital". In either case, the volume control is not a typical "passive" stage where the volume control directly sees the IC capacitance.

Cheers.