LTA MicroZOTL Preamplifier

$5,750.00

The MicroZOTL Preamp is a superb reference-grade line level pre-amplifier that is the evolution of the original and brilliant audio circuit designed by David Berning, and stewarded into success by Linear Tube Audio. A great preamplifier will make an incredible difference in your listening experience and enable you to hear detail and nuance missed in most audio systems. You will be able to experience & hear the difference at our new Factory Showroom soon! Or you can visit LTA in Takoma Park, MD right next to Washington DC.

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Steve Guttenberg - The Audiophiliac - names the LTA MicroZOTL Preamplifier as his new reference preamp.

Watch Review

[My LTA Microzotl preamp] arrived just yesterday, so I just starting using it 24 hours ago.

That said, I've been blown away by how good it is. It absolutely up-leveled my system. It's a stellar product. Both LTA and Fern & Roby (who designed and manufacture the body) are fantastic American companies making products here in the USA.
This preamplifier renders the illusion of real music better than any other linestage I have had in-house for review.

Why We Love the MicroZOTL

LTA is cut from the same cloth as we are. They are defined by their passion to design & make innovative products themselves and work with people they like! They hire and train the staff that make everything they sell and have a passion for this business that makes them great partners for us and for our clientele.
The MicroZOTL and the rest of the ZOTL product line is a unique design that is made by another interesting person we enjoy, David Berning! He has become a friend of ours as well. Basically, it all starts with great people who want to make excellent products themselves.
You can learn more about David and the unique **ZOTL** technology he developed here.

What is a preamplifier and why is it so important?

A Preamplifier is one of the most important components in a system that does the crucial job of controlling what input source (Vinyl, CD, Digital, etc) you are listening to and how to carefully boost the volume without distortion or noise into the signal path prior to the power amplification to drive your speakers.

Preamps are in all audio systems in some form, either as component within an Integrated Amp, or as a separate component designed to do a better job just like a dedicated video card or sound card can do in a computer compared to machines with integrated video and sound cards.

The Preamplifier is often a part of an "Integrated Amp", which has both the preamp and power amp in it. These typical devices often include other components as well to deliver economy to make an entire system affordable. The tradeoff is often quality. To reduce the cost and fit everything into one box integrated amps have to make compromises. They also have greater complexity and with complexity comes greater engineering challenges.

This is why there are dedicated separate components like preamplifiers and power amps. By keeping the device simpler and more singular, the quality and functionality can be increased thoughtfully to make a product that does a much better job.

Managing the audio signal at the "Line Level" or at a low signal level, a system can introduce more sophisticated controls like switching, and gain without the challenges of managing this at high power levels that would require bigger components which would be more costly and is just much harder to do.

So the bottom line is that a great preamplifier curates and manages your low level audio signal without introducing distortion and noise that would make the experience worse at high levels. A bad preamplifier will introduce this noise which will be amplified along with the signals you want to hear (Garbage in, Garbage out, but louder).