Emotiva DRP-1 Fully Balanced Preamplifier with MM/MC Phono Stage and Bass Management
By HiFi Editorial16 February 2026
Key Highlights
Emotiva’s Differential Reference Design series includes DRS-1 streamer, DRD-1 DAC, DRP-1 preamp, and DRA-1 amplifier, priced $2,599 bundled or $699 standalone.
DRP-1 is a fully balanced preamplifier with electrically symmetrical, short signal paths and sealed electromagnetic relay input switching to minimize noise.
Volume control uses a precision resistor ladder instead of a potentiometer, ensuring accurate gain steps and channel balance across the entire range.
Within Emotiva’s Differential Reference Design ecosystem, the DRP-1 reads less like a feature checklist and more like a signal‑integrity statement. The emphasis on electrically symmetrical layout and minimal internal routing suggests a preamp conceived around common‑mode noise rejection as a primary design goal, not an afterthought. Compared to balanced designs that simply mirror single‑ended stages, this approach points toward a genuinely differential gain structure, which tends to preserve microdynamic contrast and spatial cues when paired with fully balanced downstream electronics. The use of sealed relays for source selection further aligns the DRP‑1 with purist preamps, avoiding the added capacitance and semiconductor coloration associated with IC-based switching matrices.
