Предусилители — YBA Passion PRE550 MKII

The Passion PRE550 MKII is the second-generation preamplifier and DAC in the Passion range of YBA, the French high-end electronics maker. It replaces the PASSION PRE550A and keeps its case, while the digital stage has been rebuilt around new converter chips, a newer USB controller and a wireless receiver. The unit is finished in natural aluminium and is operated with the classic YBA remote controller.

Key specs that matter

The maker specifies noise more than 110 dB below signal and THD+N of 0.001% between 20 Hz and 20 kHz. The frequency response extends from 20 Hz to 40 kHz within -0.5 dB. On the analogue side there is a single XLR input next to two RCA input pairs, while the outputs are one XLR pair and two RCA pairs, joined by a coaxial S/PDIF digital output. Its enclosure is 430 mm wide, 412 mm deep and 118 mm tall, and the unit weighs 12 kg.

Engineering and use context

Conversion uses two Analog Devices AD1955 chips, which natively accept PCM up to 24 bit and 192 kHz as well as DSD64. The USB input is built on an XMOS XU208 controller that is specified for PCM at up to 32 bit and 768 kHz and for DSD512, a step up from the earlier model's USB section and aimed at direct playback from a computer. Further digital inputs are I2S over an RJ45 socket, AES/EBU on XLR, and S/PDIF on optical TosLink, coaxial and BNC connectors. Wireless playback arrives through a Bluetooth 5.0 receiver that handles the LDAC and aptX HD codecs, so phones and tablets can be used as sources without a cable. For listening to analogue sources alone, the digital section can be quickly disabled to keep the converter circuits out of operation. One of the RCA connections is a video pass-through input that lets the preamplifier sit in a home cinema chain. Two separate linear power supplies are fed from a 190VA transformer, and an OLED display shows the active input and volume, with brightness adjustable from the remote.

Pairing

Via XLR or RCA, the PRE550 MKII drives either one stereo power stage or a monoblock pair, and with two RCA output pairs a subwoofer or second amplifier can be connected alongside. YBA builds the Passion A650 power amplifier in the same series and chassis style, giving a matching pre and power combination.

Alternatives

The YBA Genesis PRE5A is a preamplifier from the Genesis range that uses a single Cirrus Logic CS4398 converter, finished in black aluminium and fronted by a black acrylic panel.