HI Wayne, Thanx for your repsonse. THe impedance of the passive preamp is going to be less than 1 kohm...say around 700-800 ohms. I wonder if reducing the impedance to around that of the CD source (or maybe even a little less) causes anything. It actually sounds better though (more bass)! Clarity is there, without any harshness. If i increase the impedance, it sounds a little harsh...(more digital i guess)...hmm maybe i just like rolled off... putting the scope &generator on would be excellent...really appreciat eyour getting it if you can -akhilesh