PS Audio PMG Signature Pre Amplifier

PS Audio PMG Signature Pre Amplifier

The Paul McGowan Signature Preamplifier isn’t an evolution—it’s a revolution. It’s PS Audio's flagship pre amplifier, the very best they know how to build, and the first product in 50 years to carry the name of their founder. It had to. This time, it’s personal. Born from a lifetime of relentless pursuit, this is the purest, most transparent conduit between music and emotion we’ve ever created. With a vanishingly low noise floor of -145dB—beyond the limits of human perception—it uncovers musical truth with explosive dynamics, infinite depth, and holographic imaging. Nothing we’ve built comes close. Once you hear it, there’s no going back. It’s not just a preamp. It’s a revelation.

Design

The Paul McGowan Signature Preamplifier is a bold leap beyond anything that’s come before. Its fully balanced circuitry delivers an unprecedented level of purity and control. With a dynamic range approaching 150dB—the difference between a single molecule of sound and standing beside a roaring jet engine—it achieves a level of sonic blackness almost no other design on Earth can touch. Transients explode with lightning speed, and its bandwidth stretches beyond 500kHz for limitless openness and realism. High-speed, zero-feedback Diamond buffers preserve every musical nuance, while a revolutionary film-capacitor power supply unleashes dynamics with astonishing grace. This is not refinement. This is reinvention. The PMG Signature is pure musical authority.

Application

The preamplifier is the heart of any high-end system. Every note, every breath, every bit of music from your sources—DACs, phono stages, CD players—passes through it before reaching your power amp. It’s the final gatekeeper, and it better be right. The Paul McGowan Signature Preamplifier is the first product in 50 years to carry my name, and for good reason. It delivers complete control, ultra-low distortion, and total isolation between sources and amplification. With five identical balanced and single-ended inputs, all signals are converted to fully balanced and passed through our zero-feedback Class A Diamond buffers. Nothing is added, nothing taken away. This is where the magic happens.

Technology

The Paul McGowan Signature Preamplifier is a statement of what's possible when nothing is held back. Designed by Darren Myers and carrying the name of our founder for the first time in 50 years, this is the culmination of a lifetime of innovation. Fully balanced from input to output, every stage features zero-feedback Diamond buffers for unmatched speed, transparency, and control. A high-resolution stepped attenuator ensures precise volume with 1/10th dB channel accuracy, revealing microdynamics with lifelike precision.

At its heart is a revolutionary power supply that eliminates traditional electrolytic capacitors, replacing them with long-life, sonically superior film capacitors. The result is lightning-fast transient response, deeper silence, and greater dynamic swing. Housed in a double chassis construction that shields against noise and interference, the PMG Signature achieves a noise floor of -145dB—so quiet it’s not there.

What you hear is exactly what was recorded—nothing added, nothing taken away. No glare, no grain, no veil. Just the music, uncolored and alive. The PMG Signature is the finest preamplifier we have ever built.

PS Audio PMG Signature Pre Amplifier Specification:

• Performance (Most Important to Audiophiles)
  • THD (Total Harmonic Distortion): < .0002% @ 1kHz, 1VRMS input
  • THD+N (Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise): < .0003% @ 1kHz, 1VRMS input
  • IMD (Intermodulation Distortion): .0005% @ 1VRMS input, CCIF, 20kHz mean, 1kHz difference
  • Frequency Response: 15Hz–150kHz, ±0.1dB
  • Bandwidth: 5Hz–500kHz, -3dB
  • Crosstalk: -135dB, one channel driven
  • Input Impedance: 50K Ω RCA / Single-Ended, 100K Ω XLR / Balanced
  • Output Impedance: 100Ω
  • Output Level: 9VRMS Single-ended / 18VRMS Balanced @ 1% THD+N
  • Max Gain: 12.6dB
• Connectors
  • Audio Inputs:
    • 2 pairs RCA / Single-Ended
    • 4 pairs XLR / Balanced
  • Audio Outputs:
    • 2 pairs RCA / Single-Ended
    • 2 pairs XLR / Balanced
  • Trigger Output: 2
  • USB: For USB firmware update only
• Power Requirements
  • Input Power: Auto Voltage: 120VAC or 230VAC, 50 or 60Hz
  • Power Consumption: 18W
• Physical Attributes
  • Unit Weight: 30 lbs / 13.6 kg
  • Unit Dimensions: 14 3/4” x 17 1/2” x 4 3/8” (375 mm x 445 mm x 112 mm, with feet)
  • Shipping Weight: 34 lbs / 15.4 kg
  • Shipping Dimensions: 20 1/2” x 24” x 10” (521 mm x 610 mm x 254 mm)