Bakoon Products PRE-5440 High-End Preamplifier

The PRE-5440 was developed as a preamplifier to be used with the AMP-5570. The circuit is an evolution of the SATRI-IC of the PRE-5410, and the latest circuits HIBIK(I)-IC and HBFBC-IC introduced in the power amplifier AMP-5570 are used for input and output. When a voltage signal is received from a CDP, etc., it is no longer necessary to convert it into a current signal. Because there is no conversion process and the structure is simpler, the audio signal moves faster and distortion is reduced. The HBFBC-IC chip is a new generation of buffer circuits that Bakun amplifiers are proud of. Compared to the PRE-5410, the accuracy of the PRE-5440 is definitely improved by the use of HBFBC.

THE FRONT PANEL IS AN INPUT SELECTOR WITH THREE UNBALANCED RCA AND TWO BALNACED XLR. The red switch next to the volume is the mute switch. The display is a 9-digit blue LED with a CPU controller. When the input selector switch is released on the BALNACED XLR1, bL1 is displayed in the display window, and the position of the volume is also displayed. A discrete digital attenuator is also included in the PRE-5410, but the 5440 is even more accurate and has a 0.5 dB step. Since it is embedded in the PCB, the sound is straight because there are no wires, and the bandwidth is expanded. The operation of the preamplifier is controlled by the CPU, and the attenuator attenuation, inputs, mute movements, etc. are displayed.

Digitally controlled attenuator

The volume control is almost identical to the digital control attenuator used in the previous PRE-5410 MK3, but the main circuitry, power supply and controls are completely upgraded and designed. The main circuit uses one conventional top-of-the-line integrated chip, SATRI-IC-UL, for each channel, and two new HBFBC-ICs for each channel. By using two types of integrated chips to modularize each sector of the preamplifier, a complex and large-scale preamplifier circuit is installed in a small space to ensure accuracy and stability. The PRE-5440 is an ultra-precision attenuator that achieves an attenuator error of less than 0.1 db.

New input/output system

With this product, we have boldly adopted XLR input/output in order to capture a new high-end user segment. Instead of employing XLR, current transfer (SATRI-LINK) was omitted. It is clear that the current transmission is technically superior, but you can enjoy the fusion with amplifiers other than Bakun Products, and you can also enjoy the change in sound quality with various RCA and XLR cables that were useless with SATRI-LINK. The adoption of XLR is a very big change of direction, but it has been well received by the flagship AMP-5570 user base that was released earlier.

Inputs and outputs support 3 RCA inputs and 2 XLR inputs. The RCA and XLR outputs are output at the same time and have exactly the same gain, allowing for a bi-amplified connection. When using the AMP-5570 amplifier with BTL mono, only XLR inputs are possible, so be sure to use XLR outputs. The vertical and horizontal sizes are 44 cm and 36 cm, which are the same as the AMP-5570. As a height of 10 cm, it is 5410 cm higher than the existing PRE-3 MK3.

Maximum Output	10V
Distortion rate (1KHz)	0.0077% /1V
SNR	-120dB
Frequency response	10Hz~100KHz
Phase characteristics	0° /20KHz
size	W440x H10x D360mm
weight	5.1kg
power	100V/50,60Hz, 110V, 220V, 240V

*Bakun Products will gradually change its logo and name to SCL (SATRI Circuit Laboratory). Thank you for your understanding.

When I listened to the AMP-5570 alone, I realized that the sound of the violin, which was thought to be just a "treble", was actually bowing at a very high speed. This is the moment when you can hear the so-called "inaudible sound". The drumbeat, like the beating of the heart, also changes. The sound image is a little smaller, but instead it feels like the striking sensation increases while the density increases. All the sounds are clear, so the whole stage feels bigger. The sense of openness increases, the vocals become more vivid, and the energy is more felt. The overall center of gravity is also lowered. In fact, I didn't feel that the center or pitch of the sound was high when the AMP-5570 was driven alone, but when I added the PRE-5440, there was room for the center of gravity to be lowered even more. A low bass like a kick drum descends towards the floor. The main feature of the PRE-5440 is to increase the space. The drum sound expands further when the PRE-5440 is added, and when the volume is slightly increased, the drum sound spreads out in space like a holographic image. I feel that the energy of the sound that comes out on the jazz saxophone has become much larger (not the volume). In addition, the center of gravity of the piano has been lowered further to improve stability. The expressiveness of this energy, which can be said to be nuances and details, is also worth mentioning in the PRE-5440.