Help with a CTC Blowtorch?

[wpascoe]

I recently acquired a gently used CTC Blowtorch preamp. Before shipping it to me, the seller had it checked out by one of its designers' techs, and it passed with flying colors.

Last night, I put it into my system, and took out the McIntosh C2500 I've been using since March. I hooked it up to my EAR 324 phono stage, spun a record on the 'table, and the sound was GLORIOUS. Detail, clarity, soundstage width, height, and depth all improved. Bass tightened a bit, and the treble became clearer, but not bright. And it's not like I was listening to a cruddy system before -- I rather liked my system, in fact.

Now comes the challenge: I want to use it as the heart of a home theater six-channel set up, even as I continue to use it to play vinyl in a two-channel system.

If I run the front L/R speaker output cables from my Integra pre-pro into an open line input in the Blowtorch, shouldn't that do the trick? Then all I'd have to do is change the input on the Blowtorch to whichever line input I was using for the "pass through," and control the volume with the volume control on the Integra pre-pro, right?

So that's what I did. But ... I got no sound at all.

Any ideas on what could be wrong? What have I missed?

[audio bill]

Since a pre-pro does not have speaker output cable connections, I think you meant that you connected the Integra's L/R pre-outs to your designated "pass thru" line inputs of the Blowtorch. In this case when you select that input you can use the volume control of the Integra to control the level of all channels of your HT system, with the main two front speakers being driven thru the Blowtorch and whatever power amp you have connected to it. There is one catch though, the volume control on the Blowtorch would have to be set to some level above its zero setting in order to pass any signal to the connected amp and main speakers. You need to be cautious in setting this level, since if you set it too high you can overdrive your main speakers relative to the others. So start with a setting slightly above the minimum and try to find the VC position that sets the front speakers to the proper volume level relative to the other speakers. Then make note of that setting and always remember to use that setting when using this setup. I can't stress this enough, you need to be cautious using such a setup or you can end up with blown amps and/or speakers. I hope this has been helpful, and let us know how it goes.

[wpascoe]

You're quite right, thanks for the correction -- I meant the pre-outs on the Integra unit.

Thanks as well for confirming that I had set things up properly.

I started with the L/R gain knobs on the Blowtorch all the way down, then gradually turned them to the right to increase gain. But I get nothing at all from the front L/R speakers when I do this. I know they're connected properly, because I get proper sound out of them when I'm playing my 'table.

Very odd.

[audio bill]

Then there are only two other possibilities I can think of that could be causing the problem; either the L/R pre-outs from the Integra are not passing a signal, or there's a problem with the inputs you've selected on the Blowtorch. Do the pre-outs on the Integra have to be activated in a menu to provide output, and did you try using a different set of inputs on the Blowtorch? It's not likely to be a cable problem since both channels are behaving the same. Not sure what else it could be???