The B&K Pro-5 is a relatively inexpensive preamplifier that was introduced in the late 1980s or early 1990s. It was often mated with B&K’s famous ST-140 power amplifier or the slightly more powerful ST-202, yielding a solid budget high-end combination for those who wanted a slightly mellower sound than provided by the popular Adcom gear of the day. The B&K Pro-5 shared preamplifier duties in my system with a tubed conrad-johnson PV10 for many years, so I thought it was time to write a review..

The basics.

The B&K Pro-5 is a full function solid state preamplifier that can be run in active or passive mode. Like most preamplifiers of its time, the Pro-5 does have a MM phono section as well as several line level inputs. Overall, the B&K Pro-5 is a very attractive, functional-looking unit, with a black face and gold rack handles that match those of the ST-140 and ST-202 power amplifiers. The Pro-5 is the same width as the ST-140 and ST-202, so it looks nice mounted directly above or below either of these units.

The controls of the Pro-5 are basic and intuitively laid out. The input selector knob is to the far left, and the oversized volume control is in the middle of the front panel. Between the two are black push buttons that control tape monitor, tape 1>2 (dubbing), direct bypass (passive mode), and tone bypass. To the right of these buttons are the balance, bass and treble controls. A red, lighted rocker switch (reminds me of my parents’ Dynaco SCA-80 integrated amplifier) turns the unit on and off. That’s it.

On back of the unit are RCA jacks for two tape decks, one phono, a tuner and three line level inputs, one of which is marked CD. There are two sets of outputs, so you can run the signal from the preamplifier to a power amplifier and powered subwoofer, should you so choose. I don’t remember what these units retailed for in 1990 or so, but my guess is in the $350 range. Today, a clean Pro-5 commands maybe $175 on eBay.

Actual use.

The B&K Pro-5 is relatively, small, light and easy to move around. Hooking the unit up is not a problem. I used the B&K Pro-5 mostly with a B&K ST-202 power amplifier, a Nakamichi (and later Rotel) CD player, and DCM Time Window speakers. It also spent some time driving Vandersteen 2Cis, Snell E/IIIs, and Spica TC-50s. My turntable was an Acoustic Research ES-1 with a Shure V-15IV cartridge.

The controls of the B&K Pro-5 did not feel particularly luxurious, but they did feel solid and functional, and I enjoyed using the unit. Because the volume control is oversized and in the center of the front panel, I never accidentally grabbed the selector switch or other knobs when trying to adjust the volume (with the recently reviewed Kenwood KR-4600 receiver, I often wound up grabbing tape monitor knob or function selector switch when going for the volume control). There were no extraneous noises when operating any of the knobs or pushbuttons. This unit actually feels just a bit more luxurious than the NAD 1020.

The sound of the B&K Pro-5 was good, but there was a noticeable difference in overall quality of sound between active and passive modes. In active mode, the Pro-5 was dynamic but a bit hard sounding. Highs were just a tad fatiguing, and individual instruments never had the three-dimensional quality that I associate with really good preamplifiers and amplifiers. Using the tone bypass (with active circuitry still engaged) helped somewhat, but the sound was still not nearly as smooth as with my conrad-johnson PV-10 or the Pro-5 in passive mode.

In passive mode, the sound of the B&K Pro-5 was appreciably smoother and less fatiguing, and this is how I generally used the unit. Of course, passive mode meant that I had to crank up the volume control much higher to get the same output level, but this wasn’t an issue, at least with FM or CDs. What was an issue was the fact that dynamics seemed to be a bit restricted in this mode. Also, I ran out of headroom with phono. With records I had to go back to active mode to get decent volume, and sound quality was compromised. When I wanted to listen to a lot of records, I generally switched over to my conrad-johnson PV-10.

Another issue I noticed in passive mode was that hooking up the subwoofer via the line level (RCA) outputs led to a decrease in output level to the power amplifier. I’m not sure whether impedance issues with the passive mode, especially with the subwoofer hooked up, might have led to a compromised transfer function (non-linear frequency response). But I did generally enjoy the sound in passive mode.

Conclusions.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with the B&K Pro-5. It is well laid out, cool looking, and dependable, at least in my system. And its sound is good, especially in passive mode. However, having used the comparably priced NAD 1020 preamplifier for several months now (I also have a vintage Musical Fidelity preamplifier), I’d have to say the NAD 1020 sounds better overall than the B&K Pro-5. The NAD does not have a passive mode, but its sound is still smooth and non-fatiguing, and errs slightly on the side of the mellow, which I like. And because its active circuitry is  always engaged (imparting some gain), using phono is not a problem.

I should also mention that I’ve read on the web that the RCA jacks of the B&K Pro-5 are not of the highest quality and tend to fail. I never had a problem, but this is something to bear in mind if you’re considering the purchase of a used B&K Pro-5.

In spite of its shortcomings, I feel comfortable giving the B&K Pro-5 3.75 stars and a recommendation, especially if you’ll be using mostly line level sources (no phono) and can use the passive mode all of the time. I have read that the B&K Pro-10MC Sonata is a substantial step up from the Pro-5, but I haven't used thie Pro-10. Keep it on your list as well if you're looking for a decent budget solid state preamplifier.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 150