Active vs passive preamplifiers? - Holo Serene Preamp Review (and GoldPoint)

Some DAC companies advertise their digital volume control as being just as good as discrete preamps, RME doubles down on this with claims that their dacs and interfaces digital volume control paired with 3 stage automatic analog gain switching performs better than relay based volume controls; if you have time I would love to see some measurements of this since you already have RME pro, and the effects of digital volume control on signal in general.

It is an improvement because of impedance matching and buffering. The Holo preamp is easier to drive by the component that comes ahead of it and it has an easier time driving the component that comes after it. Therefore, the powered preamp will provide better bass and a better foundation to the music that will make it more relaxing and entertraining to listen to that if you just use a passive pre.

What is the Wildism Audio stamp on the front represent. Modifications? Sales source?

When using a passive pre-amp, if a two meter cable to feed to a pair of monitors will result to a bit of treble roll-off, can I get away with a meter or 1.5 meters maybe?

An Active preamp with a constant low output impedance will often increase the damping factor of the following amplifier in comparison with a higher output impedance preamp. This explains the better bass sound you are describing.

Very informative! Question: if I use an external phono preamp with a line level output, can I use a passive preamp? Cheers.

how does it compare to denafrips athena

Very enjoyable, thanks.
Struggling to find the video on measuring 'audiophile improvements' that you mention at the end of this. Is it available here?

Are there cheaper passive preamps that are just as good?

Your content is great. But the video is worthless. A shaky view of your desk and moving hands. No one can focus on anything. I would have enjoyed your review if it was even just a stable shot of the components. "Copper on the sides..." as you look every which way and shake the camera. Stabilizing a camera is just a little trick a lot of people do in Hollywood for mass appeal you may have experienced it in literally every show or movie you've watched. Just one man's opinion. Thanks for the content.

So i dont need an Pre Amp like the Serene when im using a Headphone Amp connected to my Holo Audio Dac and output Music from my iPad in terms of improve Sound Quality?

I bought a Luminous Audio Technology Passive preamp with their Walker mod, one input/2 output, all XLR. I use a Topping A90D headphone amp, an SMSL VmV A amp with Klipsch Rp600mii speakers, and I use an SMSL VMV D1 DAC. Everything sounds amazing. You can get a remote if you want, I chose not to. I love my passive preamp and its rare for to hear a difference vs. using the vol. control on the DAC and the AMP. Just my 2 cents...

Have you tried connecting the May directly to your amp? Using roon or HQPlayer for volume control?
Wounder have it sounds compared to the Serene

If you replaced the gullpoint passive volume control with an autoformer volume control could allow using longer cables. Since the Autoformer Volume Control (AVC) is an inductive element, the output of your input source is actively driving the AVC. The driving impedance is at it's greatest with the AVC at max volume. Anywhere in between the AVC' s output impedance is drastically reduced, thus being more immune to cable capacitance. Presently AVCs from Intact Audio to drive monoblocks with long cables w/o issue.

How come you didn’t do your own measurements for the Serene?

Can you tell me if my situation could use a passive preamp or better to go with active? PC source-usb 2 spdif-Accuphase DC91 DAC -> McIntosh MC250 amp.
The dc91 digital volumes sound degradation past -10ish can start to be heard and the mc250 volume pots drastically degrade performance so they need to be run max.
Thanks

Interesting video. May I ask you how did you attenuate the volume while connecting the dac directly to the power amp? Doesn’t that imply that u are already using a “pre” (in the DAC) and in that case why would u need a preamp and how can u compare the sound of active vs passive? Thx

Thank you for this fantastic, comprehensive, and fun review.
I understand why you use the Benchmark AHB2 in your setting for headphones like Susvara. My questions are: 1) What is your opinion about matching the Susvara with the new Purifi or Hypex Class D power amplifiers? For example, Audiophonics HPA-S400ET.
2) Would you use power amps for other planar magnetic or dynamic headphones?
Thanks, Aviad

Hey man you sound like you know your shit so I’m gonna ask you. So I have a technics turntable and I was thinking of getting an active preamp which I want to connect to my active studio monitors. From what I’ve found online there aren’t really preamps with a volume knob. So I heard I can get a passive preamp for that and put it between the active preamp and the monitor speakers. Will that work? And if yes do I need to have short cables between the passive preamp and the speakers or it doesn’t matter? I hope you could help me figure out what I need to know.

I experience the exact same difference between passive preamps and active ones. The best appear to be simple buffers that preserve the transparency of the passive but help the bass fullness. I'm not an expert but I believe Nelson Pass explains it in terms of better impedance matching. Nelson is a legend and he responds to all emails himself. Could be worth asking him. I'm sure he would have huge appreciation for what you're doing.

@GoldenSound I was about to buy Spring with pre-amp. How do you think the add-on preamp inside Spring compared to this? I don't really need extra inputs and am totally fine with DAC/Pre combo. Thanks!

I thought the main reason for a preamp was to introduce the RIAA curve.

Plz suggest preamplifier with separate sub out, except parasound p5 or p6,

DACs have huge differences on a highly resolving system. I am a purists and bypass all tone controls because they muddy the sound. Theoretically a passive attenuater would be best for sound quality, but you forgot to mention the most important part a preamp plays in the circuit. It works as a buffer and without it the sound is very clean, but flat and lackluster. I'm sure a preamp colors the sound a bit, but the sound is dead without it. Most DACs have volume controls and I have hooked them directly to my JC1 mono blocks, but the dynamics are lost. It's just not worth the trade off, even if the signal is a bit purer without a buffer preamp. The first time I tried omitting the preamp, my first impression was, "holy shit that is super clean", but soon after my second impression was, "holy shit, it sounds flat AF". So much is lost without a buffer (preamp) and that is why most people use a preamp.

this is the only video on YT that has Goldpoint preamp in its content

Stellar review. What are your monitors? I can't read the label. Looks like "onardi" but that brand does not exist.

is the 3 watts at 32 ohms?

Hi GoldenSound, (excuse me if you have said your name i didn't pick up). I'am in a quest of cabling my setup (computer >audioquest coffee> pontus2 > flux fa-12 > lcd'x). But I'have a couple self amplified monitors that I would l would like to feed from the DAC too. I have my concerns regarding of the goldenpoint SAX2. I know you said and shown measures that its transparent. Have you done critical listening using the goldpoint and removing it? I find it hard to be the same than using some good cables going straight from the dac to the amp.
Could you please answer me on this please? Also, what xlr cables are yu using? Thanks for your videos, very nice quality :)

So thats a DAC and pre sorted, just need to look at speaker amplification to go with them next 😂 The one thing I'd miss with this pre is the ability to do digital crossover that I can do with my Classe CP800. I currently have it set for everything below 80hz to go to my subs to allow my speakers to focus more on the upper bass, mid and treble.

You mentioned the Holo Serene runs in Class A. Does the chassis get hot to the touch?

The review is awesome. The build and other things seem great, however dealing with Tim - Sole US distributor of Kitsune is a pain in the behind. Rude, not easy to deal with communication. When the unit runs into issues (which every unit does at some point) how will they support and stand behind their product I am not sure. I won’t expect a Pass labs or a McIntosh kind of product support. This is a important consideration in giving it a home. My 0.02C

hello, i have the Serene but now i'm curious about xp12, how do you feel about both? I hear the pass does add a little something

I would be interested in your review of the Cambridge Audio CXN - I would like a preamp-dac maybe streamer and rarely see them but seems like a reasonable idea to put them in one house

Or use a tube output stage source like my CD player from Audio Research into a full SS preamp / poweramp chain works super well. Transparency is (also?) a subjective experience value judgment… defined as … well it’s gonna be subjective. I could give my definition… later…
I have no treble roll off on 2-3m cables using horn speakers with super tweeters. How do measurements sound vs how does what I hear measure? Mmmm

Note to self: Avoid Big Gigantic

Great review Golden! Can you link to the headphone/adapter cable, or a similar cable that you use?

I'm an acoustic engineer and this is the first time I hear of a "passive preamp". Since preamps amplifies a signal, they put energy in, which makes them all active. With your clarification that "passive preamps" can only attenuate, I believe this is a semantics quirk. A passive device in front of a poweramp or an adc, or any other input, will be an attenuator/impedance matching device to me (not sure how to call them, but "preamplifier" seems weird).

How many steps and what impedance is the attenuator in your Gold Point passive unit? Thank you for your continued information and videos. It is very much appreciated.

hey, just a tip your unnatural hand movement is off putting its seems forced and calculated. Love the content its just the hands make it hard for me to watch

How to connect the (jack)headphones to those XLRs?

There's no such thing as a "passive preamplifier". You need power to amplify!

I think holo have to produce a bi-amp version, as well as this headphone+ version.

How it sound comparing to Benchmark LA4 ?

I think this is a redundant classification for active/passive preamps. I've spent quite some time thinking about how to have "passive" and "amplifier" in one sentence, before I decided to watch this vid in my newsfeed )) Let's say, some pre-amps have more features. Because a same schematic can be found inside, but without few switches.

could you make a comparison between this and the pre90 by topping?

What about turning the volume up to maximum and running that through an autoformer or you're pre-amplifier

Please don't tell a Chinese company too charge more. Good lord. LOL We only want to buy there stuff to save money. lol

Hi, I believe I saw your ad you were selling your XP 12 preamp by pass labs. What is the difference? Why are you selling it may I know? Very nice video

Thank you for this review, just excellent. I have recently bought the topping pre 90, interesting to hear you mention it.