Предусилители — YBA PASSION PRE550A

The PASSION PRE550A is a preamplifier with an integrated digital-to-analogue converter from YBA, the French high-end brand, and belongs to the Passion range that sits between the entry lines and the Signature series. YBA lists the unit in a natural aluminium finish and presents it as a control centre that accepts analogue, digital, network and Apple portable sources in one chassis. The unit is no longer available, and the Passion PRE550 MKII took its place in the range.

Key specs that matter

YBA rates maximum gain at +6 dB, signal-to-noise ratio above 105 dB and THD+N below 0.003% across 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Frequency response runs from 20 Hz to 20 kHz within -0.5 dB. The output panel carries two pairs of RCA sockets, one balanced XLR pair and a single S/PDIF digital output. Conversion is handled by dual Cirrus Logic converter chips working at up to 24 bit and 192 kHz. Power comes from two separate linear supplies fed by a 190VA transformer. The aluminium case is 430 mm wide, 412 mm deep and 118 mm high, with a weight of 12.5 kg.

Engineering and use context

A key point of the design is that the whole digital section can be switched off when an analogue source is playing, so the converter circuits stay idle while vinyl or tape is in use. Digital connectivity is broad. There are I2S over an RJ45 socket, AES/EBU on XLR, S/PDIF on TosLink, coaxial and BNC, plus an asynchronous USB 2.0 port that needs a driver under Windows but runs without one on Mac and Linux computers. A network socket on RJ45 accepts 10 or 100 Mbps connections and gives the unit built-in compatibility with Apple AirPort Express, so AirPlay streams can be received. A direct input for iPod and iPhone takes the digital signal from the player and bypasses the device's own converter. Among the analogue connections YBA also mentions a video pass-through RCA socket for integration with a home theatre chain. An OLED display shows the active source and volume, with brightness that can be adjusted.

Pairing

With XLR and RCA output sockets, the PRE550A links up with one stereo power stage or with two monoblocks over either connection type, and the second RCA pair allows a subwoofer or a second amplifier to be fed at the same time. The S/PDIF output passes a digital signal on to an external recorder or converter.

Alternatives

YBA's current catalogue also includes the Genesis PRE5A, a preamplifier from the Genesis range.