FAQ - Direct Connection to the Pickups

Most other preamps have an AC connection to the pickup and a 2nd one at the end of the preamp.

Normally somewhere in the signal path of an on-board preamp there will be at least one DC to AC translation point. This translation point is required because if only 1 battery is used the designer must split this voltage to amplify both polarities of the pickup signal.

The Audere preamp has 1 translation point and we have moved this point to the end of the preamp instead of at the start of the preamp. By moving the translation point to the end of the preamp we have a low impedance signal to drive the capacitor. This means any distortion created by the capacitor will be reduced. Capacitors come in different quality levels at different price points. Most of the non-ideal behaviors within capacitors are related to the dielectric materials that can be used and still keep the capacitor a reasonable size. In addition to placing the capacitor at the end of the circuit, we've chosen for a better quality capacitor than is typical.

Note on installation:
We separate the pickup common from ground, which is an uncommon wiring requirement. We supply the pickup common connection with a virtual ground voltage which is about 1/2 the battery voltage. If you follow our wiring instructions you should have no problems, just make a note that this aspect of the wiring is different from other preamps.

The direct connection to the pickups is uncommon technique which allows a cleaner sound to be obtained from the pickups but the wiring is slightly non-standard so the installer must follow the provided instructions.

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