Preamplifier
audio amplifier with output power not sufficient to control a loudspeaker; circuit that prepares an audio signal for processing or further amplification
Preamplifier is a type of electronic amplifier. It doesn't have enough power to feed speakers. Rather a preamplifier amplifies weak signals, for example from a microphone, for electronic processing or distribution.
Early preamplifiers used vacuum tubes. Since the 1960s, most electronic amplifiers have been built with transistors. Transistors are lighter, less expensive, and more reliable.
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