I'm sitting in the office reading about TI PCA2311 volume control IC, minding my own business, when I hear music playing in the living room. My wife plays a track of Luciano Pavarotti singing Nessun Dorma from Turandot opera on the SB. Then she played it again. Then she comes into the office all excited, "With these [new amps] the singer is not coming out of the speakers, he's standing right in the middle!!!!" I said, yes dear, that is called imaging, and good amps do that better. That's one reason why I bought them for you.
I started to explain what other aspects of soundstaging she could listen for and learn to appreciate, but she turned on her heels and sat down to listen again, this time a few dB louder. Then silence. She comes back in saying, "This record player works, right?" I said, "Yes dear." "Great!" She turned on her heels and went up the stairs.
Down she comes with her copy of Madame Butterfly on vinyl. She hasn't played it in 20 years. She yells into the office, "How do you switch it to the record player?" I said, "That's what I'm reading about, how to build a preamp since I'm supposedly cut off from spending anymore on the stereo." I showed her how to swap input cables on the amps. She started laughing halfway through the process when I said "THIS is why WE need a preamp so you can play your opera recordings without my help." I tried to rub in the 'me helping' part, she likes to be independent. I don't remember hearing any response to the preamp proposal.
So, now the Madame Butterfly is playing at a rather high volume level. I expect to hear three more sides before she comes back in to thank me for enabling her musical bliss, or please do the dishes, or something. Lights are down, kids are in bed, wife is digging the hifi, life is good!
