After more than 25 years of experience in the field of professional studio equipment, our TRACE preamplifier is now available as a small series device. Each of these exclusive devices is individually manufactured by hand. The highly selected electronic components are manually soldered with WBT silver solder onto an extra strong circuit board with an unprecedentedly high copper coating. The layout of the additional silver-plated conductor tracks was also created entirely by hand and is characterized by a curved conductor track with very short signal paths. The consistent double-mono construction in conjunction with the high selection of components ensures accuracy and phase fidelity of the reproduction. This results in a particularly impressive depth gradation and precise localization of every single detail within the musical performance.

The TRACE is characterized by a clear, timeless design. The minimalist exterior supports the function and the usability. The position of the input selector switch and the volume control can be seen at a glance thanks to the position-dependent geometry of the three small light points, even in unlit rooms.

The brightness of the display can be individually adjusted to the lighting conditions or according to the brightness on the fronts of other devices. A GND terminal can be used to easily create additional ground connections to other devices in the system if required. On the TRACE preamplifier, the audio ground can be separated from the protective conductor using the ground lift switch.

The stereo signal of the selected source device at inputs 1 to 5 can be transmitted to the power amplifier with volume control via cinch (RCA) or balanced via XLR connection. Dynamic headphones can also be connected directly to the integrated headphone amplifier via a 6.3 mm jack socket.

All outputs have their own separate drivers and are not connected to one another internally. This means that both the balanced and unbalanced outputs can be used simultaneously without influencing each other, or plugged-in cables can remain connected in parallel. The output resistance of the cinch outputs and the headphone connection is a minimum of 0.003 ohms. The XLR connection has a comparatively low 2 × 50 Ohm.

We paid particular attention to the power supply in the TRACE and gave it plenty of space. The power supply has a multi-stage design and uses a precision voltage reference to ensure the greatest possible noise margin from the supply network.

Starting from the magnetically and electrically shielded and encapsulated toroidal transformer, the audiophile capacitors with a total capacity of 200,000 µF as pre-buffers and the four bias regulators can be seen in the picture from left to right. The total capacity of all capacitors in the device exceeds 300,000 µF, which is an extremely unusually high value for preamplifiers.

The reference and basis for the operating voltages generated in the audio section is a 10,000 V precision voltage reference from Analog Devices. The control signals for the subsequent power amplifiers are generated from this high-quality voltage. The complex decoupling of the reference voltage from the input voltage achieves a significantly higher signal-to-noise ratio to the power grid compared to conventional solutions.

Fast power MOSFET transistors supply the audio stages — individually regulated for each channel — with power and ensure a constant voltage level. This reliably prevents mutual influence of the two channels via the power supply.

We have consistently assigned each operational amplifier IC its own 3-stage operating voltage buffer in the immediate vicinity, consisting of electrolytic, film and mica capacitors, and damped the different buffer stages of the ICs from each other.

Taken together, these measures create optimal working environments for the sensitive differential amplifier stages, in which the criteria

• Maximize the signal-to-noise ratio to the power grid (PSRR)
  
• Avoid direct influence of the stages on each other by the operation itself
  
• Guarantee high current delivery capacity and, above all, speed for each individual OPV
  

are combined.

We have thus created an optimal working environment for the outstanding AD797 operational amplifier, an ultra-low distortion, ultra-low noise op amp in a class of its own. Among other things, this is characterized by its particularly low inherent noise of only 0.9 nV, very low distortion (THD at −120 dB), and a very large signal-to-noise ratio to the power supply (−130 dB PSRR) - it is also extremely fast and regulates frequencies up to 8 MHz.

From a measurement point of view, the operational amplifier thus works up to the border regions in which even the thermal inherent noise of resistors becomes relevant. For this reason, we only use induction-free, low-noise Dale resistors in the TRACE that are oversized in the power class, i.e. in a larger design than is usual in amplifier construction, in order to further minimize this thermal effect. For the sensitive internal attenuators, we use precision metal foil resistors from Vishay, which have an even lower inherent noise.

On the left and right channels, there are components with the same values ​​in the same position, which we ensure through considerable selection effort. The residual variance depends on the component value and the measuring range, among other things, and is usually less than 0.1% - for resistors it is even in the range of 0.02%.

The TRACE also has a particularly short signal path for volume control, because the music signal does not leave the circuit board but goes directly to the next amplifier stage via a Vishay metal foil resistor. Only the shunt resistor in the volume control is connected via a pure silver cable (6-way Lavri cable AWG25), which we also use for all connections to the signal outputs.

The 48-stage rotary encoder from Khozmo also works internally with Vishay metal foil resistors. In the TRACE, it only diverts the signal portion to be diverted to ground — via a fixed resistor in each case. In the TRACE, the volume is therefore adjusted via two precision fixed resistors. The Khozmo volume control has excellent channel synchronization with a channel difference of only ±0.1 dB max. and reliably protects against switching noises with a "make before brake" function.

The shortest direct cabling without plug contacts or relays that are susceptible to long-term damage leads to the connectors, whereby perfect symmetry of the channels was also ensured here. The lengths of the connection paths for the left channel correspond exactly to those of the right channel. The large spatial distance to other components minimizes other possible negative influences and at the same time contributes to maximizing the achievable cutoff frequency.

The striking turquoise components are used in large numbers in the TRACE preamplifier especially for high-frequency control peaks. These are particularly high-quality capacitors - silver mica capacitors - embedded in a ceramic housing that is filled with oil. This type of capacitor can provide the circuit with high currents, almost instantaneously, with a reaction capacity well into the GHz range and is used in radar technology, among other things. In their function as a buffer, they also smooth the voltage network up to the very highest frequencies, even with extreme edge steepness.

The circuit board layout with its curved conductor tracks without corners and sharp changes in direction, without parallel conductor tracks, and the complete absence of non-essential circuit elements - which have non-linearities or other negative effects on the sound - perfects the working conditions for the circuit stages and also increases the achievable bandwidth and phase fidelity.

Components susceptible to magnetism have no place in the TRACE. The housing of the preamplifier is made of brushed and anodized aluminum, all internal fastenings are made of non-magnetic stainless steel. We do not use magnetic electronic components, e.g. those with connecting wires made of tinned iron, as these influence magnetic fields and cause distortion.

The external neutrality of the TRACE also reflects its inner values.

“Here is a brief summary of yesterday evening, when I did nothing but listen to music, without stress, without making any changes to the system, and without any time pressure until late into the night.

What can I say, it sounds simply excellent. There were two clear improvements in terms of enjoyable listening that, in my opinion, have been really impressive recently. The first improvement was the system being largely freed from HF influences, …

I am currently experiencing the second quality improvement when implementing the Trace in my chain. It has never sounded so clear, so transparent, so natural and completely detached, yet effortlessly traceable right down to the last corner of the imaginary stage

Now you could conclude that the Trace sounds sensationally good. In my opinion, it doesn't, although many system owners would probably describe it that way. It doesn't sound that way, I am convinced of that after about a week of intensive work and sound assessment of this preamp. I see its qualities in its phenomenal transparency, in the optimal permeability of everything that is offered to it. It doesn't interfere, doesn't change anything, and certainly doesn't leave anything out, and at best helps weak output stages of upstream source devices with more authority and a sense of reality.

Listening to music with it tonight was really pure pleasure, across the different genres, sometimes accompanied by a broad grin and rhythmic headbanging,