I'm pretty new to the world of high-fidelity and tube-amplification and all that... so, what I'm saying is: I don't really know what I'm doing/I'm lacking the technical background to fully understand tube-technology...

So, last night I started to wonder if adding a pre-amp to my Torii MkV would actually make it sound even better - when I realized - I might be able to use my Mini Torii 2 as a pre-map... maybe...

I wired it into my set-up and to my surprise, it actually worked pretty well and for some reason, I seem to prefer the sound of the Mini Torii/MkIV combination over going straight into the MkIV. I can't really put my finger on what exactly changes in the sound... a little more authoritative, a little more 'control'... and what doesn't seem to make sense at all: a little more transparent-sounding?

The Mini Torii does add a bit more noise into my system - but not to the degree where it is really noticeable.

I do really like the added ability to control my left and right channels w/ the separate volume-knobs on the Mini. My room-situation is less than perfect and it really helps balancing everything out to the point where I get really nice distribution of sound in my usual seating-position.

Question: is this a bad idea? Too many tubes in play? Am I off my rocker? Am I hearing perceived improvements that aren't really there? Am I doing harm?

In theory, I would favor a set-up that has as few components in the chain as possible. Adding the Mini Torii for potentially 'no good reason' seems counter-intuitive... but it really seems to sound slightly better w/ the Mini in the chain?

Thanks for your comments, Lon - much appreciated.

I spent another 2-3 hours last night w/ the Mini-Torii-as-pre-amp set-up - and I'm still of the opinion, that my MkIV sounds better WITH the Mini than without. I was able to dial everything in to my liking - in between the Mini and the MkIV, there are plenty of settings to be tweaked. We will see, if I still like the sound when I listen again tonight.

I am wondering though, if a CSP3 would be a better option as a pre-amp, than using my 'old' Mini Torii? There's a lot of glass in between those two amps (and the ZP3) - would the simpler design of the CSP3 introduce less noise into my system?

Lon - thanks for your advise/opinion. I did some additional reading and ended up taking the plunge on a used CSP3 (basic beeswax caps but no Anninversary mods.). I should get it on Monday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, that the CSP3 will be an improvement over using the Mini Torii as a pre-amp - I shall see and I'll give a quick report, once I had a chance to assess.