what is a pre-amp?

Question

and how do they work, on the back of my amp ( arcam 8) it has a pre amp and power amp connection and the other amp (Rotel RA-1062) has a pre out.
Does this mean i can connect the amps together some how to run several sets of speakers?
i would like to be able to control the volume to the sets of speakers seperatly whilst using the same imput! Hope that last bit made sense

just to add this a home stereo system not guiter amp setup,

Answer 1

All amplifiers consist of a pre-amp and a power-amp.

The power amp is the section that actually outputs the sound to the speakers to produce the music. The pre-amp is the section that contains the volume control, input switches,etc.

In an integrated amplifier, both of these units are contained in a single box. In a pre/power setup, the two sections are in separate boxes, either as a pre-amp and stereo power amp, or pre-amp and two (or more) mono power amps. Some integrated amplifiers have the ability to be used as pre or power amps.

Separating the high current output (power amp) stage from the delicate electronics of the input (pre-amp) stage, results in more defined sound, better control at high volumes and clearer separation of the signal.

Answer 2

Pre Amp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre_amp

A power amp is the standard amplifier on a stereo system.
As you can see from the link above, a pre amp is designed to modify the signal prior to amplification, hence the name pre (before) amp.

If you have a separate amplifier from your cd player/radio etc then you should be able to connect more than one set of speakers to it. However, if you want to control the volume independantly fr the different sets of speakers you will need to add another volume control or use two separate power amps with a common imput signal (not easy to set up, but not rocket science)

Answer 3

similar to a pre-op i