Rockville PPA20 11V 1U Rack Mount Pre-Amplifier, Phono Input, XLR Outputs, 3-Band EQ, for Home Audio and Studio Recording

I have a Carvin 1500 watt amp and always wanted to use it as a home stereo (not theater....just for stereo music) amplifier...the Carvin has a 1/4inch ins and XLR inputs which are balanced. I wanted a preamp to have XLR output to use the very nice XLR input on the amp...which makes a huge difference in sound quality and noise cancellation when using XLR (balanced cable) and you can push the amp higher with cleaner sound, I did read some reviews about noise and some non functioning dials on this preamp...but for the price I decided to take a chance and I am glad I did. The sound quality blows away my Integrated amp (100 watts per channel) - and good luck finding a preamp for this price full stop! I did find one preamp with XLR outputs for a mere $4500!! Decided I was going to take my chances with this one! Also as a side note the equalizer function is clean and accurate, AND the loudness button really works well. One last caveat was that I can use the MICROPHONE input to plug in my guitar directly and play along with the music for learning a song or just jamming along....I am assuming you can actually use this as a sing along Karaoke machine to your favorite music is you are vocally talented (I have been banned to even sing in the shower which I think is rather cruel! so no...I dont have a microphone!) - anyhow....if you need a preamp, this is a good one...it has RCA in and out...AND you can plug your own equalizer to it if you want before sending out to the amplifier....I am assuming that would allow you to equalize on both the pre amp AND the equalizer for major sound modification. The only thing I wish the pre amp had would be a lighted face, but I am sure that would send the price up significantly....Hope this was helpful

Fact that this preamp ha both XLR and RCA connections was just what I needed for one of my audio recording systems.

I’ve had this for about a week and it fit my needs. I was looking for basically a source selector to fit in the open spot in my audio rack that is primary dedicated to playing 78s but also handles other inputs (video, CD and iPhone.) I removed the feet from the PPA20 so it would fit in the rack and got a chance to look at the build of the unit. To my amateur but nerdy eye, the PPA20 looked nicely made. I have not tried out it’s full functionality and don’t use the “phono” position for my TTS, but the clean sound, basic features and price were a good hit for me. I don’t think it is exactly mentioned in the description, but this can handle 5 RCA inputs plus a phone stage that I haven’t tried since I prefer using different preamps.

Have used this in my garage with a pair of powered PA speakers and its been 18+months of flawless operation until last month. I took it to use at a birthday party I was providing music for (Not mixing or DJ'ing) and as soon as I turned it on there was a noticeable hum in the speakers. When I would touch the box anywhere the hum got 10 times louder. I changed out power strips, outlets etc. still there. Checked it again when I got home and same noise. This is/was a great box for its purpose but it really needs a quality Internal power supply and a grounded 120VAC input.

I own 2 of these preamps. My first one was the 3-wire AC corded version with an internal power supply. It did NOT have an external ground lift switch as advertised. In order to eliminate the variable 120 Hz hum, I had to make the following internal AC circuit modifications. I removed the Green wire ground connection, placed a decoupling capacitor across the Hot and Neutral and wired a 2.2 Meg Ohm resister from Neutral to chassis ground. I also added a grounding lug for my TT. This helped a LOT, but did not completely eliminate all the hum. AVOID this one if you can. The latest version has no internal power supply and relies on a 12VDC 1 Amp external wall-wart. THIS IS THE ONE YOU WANT TO BUY! I did NOT have to make any modifications at all. It's very quite and has no scratchy balance POT like the AC corded version. Contrary to what some have said, BOTH units have a fully functional RIAA Moving Magnet Phono input. They are comparable to the Pyle or Behringer MM phono preamps in sound quality, which is good enough for most listeners. I don't see how they can manufacture this product at such a low price? I'm gladly keeping both.

I was looking for a Preamp to use with my 1965 Phase Linear power amp to put together an "OLD SCHOOL" Stereo system for my Man Cave. I thought that for the price I'd take the chance. I was surprised how well it worked with my system using my ipad as my music source, that I purchased a Rockville RDTJ 6700 rack mount AM/FM Radio tuner. If you are looking for an inexpensive Preamp and AM/FM Tuner look no farther than the PPA20 & RDTJ6700.

Perfect piece of equipment to go with any of the Rockville power amps.. 1000 amp, 2500 amp, 3000 amp, or the power house 5,000 watt amp..I’m using the PPA-20 with the Rockville RA-3000 watt power amp. And a Rockville SS-1128 subwoofers. And 2 separate 2,000 watt each active audio speakers ( Star Audio) to have an in expensive super power house of superb sound... 😊👍

Beware of this and any other unit that my be based on it. 1. Overall sound is muffled, even with treble at max. 2. Inputs easily overload and distort. 3. Not a true phono input, just another line level input, no proper boost for phono nor RIAA curve. You will also need a phono preamp. 4. My headphone jack was DOA from the start and never worked.