[70sMac]

Originally Posted by Kal Rubinson

This is a common setup and there's no reason why one cannot pipe line level signals from one device to another. Line level is what you get from a DAC, disc player or preamp output and you know you can interconnect these, so no reason you cannot connect preamp to preamp

Originally Posted by edward3132

Further clarification. Using an integrated amp is a little trickier. You would actually use its preamp outputs to the other preamp not its speaker outputs thus bypassing the amplifiers. Most integrated amps have the preamp section connected to the amp section with a set of clamps (not sure of correct wording) If you remove the clamp you separate the preamp and amp sections thus allowing you to feed another preamp or a different set of amps.

Most modern AV receivers have 7.1 outputs that can feed another preamp or amp thus not using the ones in the receiver.

Kal & Edward..... Okay, so no reason to think that one preamp section can't be a [direct] source for another preamp...but I'm assuming that the unit being used as the primary preamplifier -- be it an AV pre/pro or an AV receiver -- would have to be manufactured with preamp outputs, correct?

Edward..... If the newer AV receivers you're referring to are designed with "7.1 outputs" that can be routed to a separate preamp or a separate power amp, what's the purpose of removing the "clamp" (or whatever it's called)?

No doubt, I can understand why isolating a preamp stage from its power amp stage, in an integrated amplifier design, would be ideal...but, after reading the first paragraph of your last post (above), I was thinking that the "isolation" was already taken care of via the preamplifier outputs you mentioned?