preamp

noun

pre·​amp ˈprē-ˌamp 

variants or less commonly pre-amp

plural preamps also pre-amps

: preamplifier

On a fundamental level, a preamp makes sound louder without adding noise. Plug a smartphone into a stereo with the volume maxed out and you'll likely get a lot of distortion. A preamp adds that volume without the noise.

—Thorin Klosowski

The goal was to assemble a transportable machine that would pick up the specific nuclear signatures associated with materials used in nuclear weapons while screening out materials that might trigger a similar reading, a lab spokesman said. … The systems' parts, though not all available from Radio Shack, came from components on hand at the lab … including a hand-held computer, a pre-amp, an amplifier and a solid-state detector.

—Inside Energy/with Federal Lands

Examples of preamp in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dynamic microphones are notoriously insensitive and often require an audio interface with a preamp to be fully cranked up. —Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025

The matching Quad 33 preamp features a MM/MC phono stage, headphone jack, and full remote control, plus novel tilt, balance, and bass controls. —Robert Ross, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2025

It was introduced in 1982 on the QUAD 34 preamp, which succeeded the 33. —Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024

Get an Interface Now While a preamp is arguably optional, an interface is not. —Eric Ravenscraft, WIRED, 14 Feb. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for preamp

• decamp
• encamp
• headlamp
• revamp
• timestamp
• amp
• champ
• clamp
• cramp
• damp
• gamp
• lamp