While superb sonics are a must, that is not enough.  The preamp should be very "user friendly," convenient to use, and have all the control functions needed to make it really useful.  While many preamps offer excellent sonics, most fail to deliver convenience and complete functionality. 

Sanders Sound Systems has gone to great effort to make a preamp that not only sounds flawless, but has made the preamp a pleasure to use.  All preamp functions are available from both the front panel and by remote control.  You won't have to look for a lost remote to make the preamp operate while you are standing right in front of it!

The Sanders Sound Systems preamplifier is a "line stage" unit, which means that it doesn't include a phono preamp. This is because it is difficult, expensive, and complicated to do a phono preamp well. It didn't seem sensible to force every customer to pay a large extra price for a phono preamp stage that few would use.  So instead, Sanders Sound Systems offers a separate, matching, dedicated phono preamp. 

Front panel controls are done through micro‑touch electronic switches.  You won't find the preamp sliding around on the shelf as you try to work stiff, conventional switches.

Conventional rotary volume controls have channel matching errors of around 20% and this causes the left/right balance to shift as you change the volume.  To solve this problem, some preamp manufacturers use discrete, precision resistors on a multi‑step switch.  While this solves the channel tracking problem; they introduce new ones.  Specifically, they have very limited resolution due to too few steps (typically 31 steps of 2 dB each).  These "stepped attenuators" produce a very annoying switching transient (click or pop) at each step. 

Sanders Sound Systems solves these problems by using the "volume control" knob to drive an optical comparitor circuit.  The optical circuit operates a microprocessor controlled electronic gain system. This permits control of the overall level using one hundred, one‑dB steps, with precision of greater than 0.1% between channels.  The microprocessor waits for the musical signal to cross the zero point before switching to the next step, so there are no switching transients. 

The volume control knob has detents and rotates continually, so it has an infinite number of detents.  The detents let you "feel" each 1 dB change in level. 

There is a digital display with beautiful, blue, light emitting diodes (LEDs).  The display continuously shows the output level of the unit and switches automatically to show level differences between channels when you adjust the balance.  You no longer have to guess at the levels or try to see fine gradations on a knob to know the levels, since you can see them from several feet away. 

You can adjust the level of each input.  This way, when you switch from one source to another, you will not get "blasted" with too much sound from one, and not enough from another.  Source input levels are displayed on the digital readout for reproducibility, ease of use, and quick comparisons between components.

Most components come with a remote control transmitter that only controls that particular component.  You therefore end up adding this remote transmitter to the pile of remotes you have for all your other electronics and video units.  Rather than contribute to "remote clutter", the Sanders Sound Systems Preamp comes with the very fine "Home Theater Master" remote.  This remote can be programmed (with pre‑defined codes or by "learning" the codes from other remotes) to run all your components.  Once programmed, you can use the Sanders Sound Systems remote for operating everything.  You no longer have to look through a pile of remotes every time you want to adjust something in your audio/video system.

 Specifications

Comes with remote control

Many preamplifiers fail to provide sufficient inputs.  The Sanders Sound Systems preamp has six inputs with a tape loop and video processor loop.  One of the six is balanced, the others are single ended.  There are both balanced and single ended outputs and both can be operated simultaneously. 

Since space in most component racks is limited, the preamp was designed to be very thin, only 1‑3/4" (44mm) tall, so the listener has the option of placing it on top of another component instead of requiring an entire shelf for itself.  It is the same width (17", 43cm) as Sanders Sound Systems’ ESL amplifier.

But what about the sound?  The audio quality is as close to perfection as is possible.  The audio circuitry is minimal, and is based on ultralow noise FETs (Field Effect Transistors) to avoid adding noise, distortion, or coloration to the sound.  As a result, there is no audible noise, crosstalk, or coloration.

The preamp has essentially no measurable distortion (the distortion is lower than standard distortion analyzers can detect).  Likewise, noise is below the residual levels of standard analyzers. 

Sanders Sound Systems has subjected the unit to the most critical listening test possible ‑ the ABX bypass test.  In this test, a group of critical listeners attempt to hear any differences between the preamp and a short, straight piece of wire.  Such a wire is a perfect reference because it has no noise or distortion.  If no difference can be heard between the preamp and the wire, then one must conclude that the preamp is virtually perfect.  Such a preamp would have no sound of its own, no coloration, no harshness, and it would pass a completely faithful musical signal.  The Sanders Sound Systems preamp passes this most difficult of tests. 

Its build quality is the finest available.  The chassis is all anodized, CNC machined aluminum construction.  Only the finest electronic components are used.  It even has gold plated circuit boards. 

Its styling has a simple elegance that is similar to our ESL amplifier.  The face plates of both units are made of the same thickness aluminum, same anodizing, same silk-screening, same blue diodes, etc.  The two make a beautiful set. 

Like the ESL amp, the preamp's front panel has a deep ellipse cut into it.  On the left side of this ellipse are 7 rectangular buttons laid out horizontally edge to edge, forming a "button bar."  Above each button is a tiny, blue LED that glows when the button is pressed.  The buttons select the sources, processor loops, stereo/mono, etc.  On the right side of the main ellipse is a glass covered, smaller ellipse with the alpha‑numeric display made from blue LEDs.  To the right of the main ellipse is a round, sculptured knob that you use to adjust the various levels (input gain, balance, and volume).