AudioSource Pre One/A Stereo Preamplifier
See it at Amazon.com for $69.99Average Customer Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First (4 out of 5)The virtue of simplicity
I was in the market for a cheap pre amp as a temporary replacement for my old pre that wouldn't give me a clean CD input without a fight.
I looked all over the place for a simple stereo pre amp that wasn't filled with features I didn't need at a resonable price, when I finally found this little baby. It's solidly built and works just beautifully. There is no remote control to lose so I can just get off my butt and walk over to it if I need to.
Setting it up is as easy as falling off a log and sonically it is quite transparent though it seems a touch on the bright side (although this could be caused by my speaker placement as well).
My only qualm is the notched volume, bass and treble controls, although for the price this is truly nit-picking.
If you pine for quality and simplicity over glamor and glitz you can't go wrong with this unit.
(5 out of 5)From the manufacturer
This product is a pre-amplifier. You use it to hook up sound sources, like your CD Player, Tape Deck, and Tuner to your amplifier. If you do not have a component system it may not be of much use to you. That being said, this product is a great pre-amp. It has a very low THD level that will not color the music that you listen to. If you are confused about the funcitionality of the product you should contact us so that we can help you out.
(4 out of 5)better than some claim it to be
What do you want for under $150? I've read other reviews that say this preamp is colored, a joke, etc., but after getting one, I would have to disagree. I've owned McIntosh, Dynaco, Marantz, Bottlehead, Luxman, B&K, Adcom, VanAlstien, and lots of other mid to hi-fi stuff. This certainly isn't high enbd by any means, but it's actually perfectly fine-especially for the price. There are even a few better quality discrete components thrown in here and there. Some others have complained about the stepped volume...why? that's a bizarre complaint. They're not Alps or Noble, but it works fine for me.
The layout is simple, clean, and there are plenty of switching options. I would reccomend a good, but inexpensive phono preamp (maybe the NAD...or other cheapo alternative). My only nitpick is that the base does not sit with all four feet on the floor at the same time-that's just dumb, but other than that, I've gotten my money's worth. For another $100 i could have had the Parasound with a decent phono stage. I know Audiosource probably does not care, but I wish they would make a higher end preamp with better jacks, a phono stage (no tuner built in though) and feet that sit on the ground...maybe then I'll upgrade.
(5 out of 5)great product!
This is a great pre-amp. Great quality for a good price. I love mine. I am very glad I bought it. This company is what I was always looking for, good quality audio gear at a reasonable price. (No, I do not work for them or have any connection.)
(5 out of 5)Perfect for my application
I combined the Pre One/A with the 100 amplifier for a compact, powerful system. Depth and power are outstanding; these components live up to their quality specifications. I tried other receivers with higher "power" ratings that just didn't measure up. Many lower priced components are rated at ridiculously high distortion levels that could never be tolerated, except with rap/hiphop music. The audiosource sound is big, clear, and accurate. I will be buying more.