Noun
English Wikipedia has an article on:preamplifierWikipedia
preamplifier (plural preamplifiers)
A voltage amplifier for amplifying a low-level input signal; its output is the input to a higher-level amplifier.
If a preamplifier has been used prior to A/D conversion, the noise introduced by the amplifier can be an important contributing factor towards the overall SNR. Source: Internet
Effect chains are typically created between the guitar and the amp or between the preamplifier ("preamp") and the power amp. Source: Internet
To do this, they used overdrive — increasing the gain of the preamplifier beyond the level where the signal could be faithfully reproduced, resulting in a "fuzzy" sound. Source: Internet
The main disadvantage is the need of a special preamplifier that supplies a steady current (typically 5mA) to the semiconductor elements and handles a special equalization than the one needed for magnetic cartridges. Source: Internet
The RCA Type 55 was a double diode triode used as a detector, automatic gain control rectifier and audio preamplifier in early AC powered radios. Source: Internet
This allows the guitarist to apply modulation effects to the signal after it has been processed through the preamplifier, something generally desirable, particularly with time-based effects such as delay. Source: Internet