I have been an advocate of passive preamps for years. I have been using a Stan Warren buffered line stage for about 8 years. I recently upgraded my amp to a CJ MV-60 and was uncertain if I needed to upgrade my preamp. I only run a CD player, so I started to look at options, including a CD player with variable output. Budget is an issue, but not so much if I find a sound that is so wonderful that it sticks in my head and will not leave. I also spoke with Bill Conrad who said that the inteconnects will be an issue with a passive set up because they will act as filters. The CJ and buffered line stage are amazing, even with old Audioquest Ruby interconnects and some prototypes from another manufacturer. I have done ABs with Creek OBH 12 and OBH 14 and EVS Ultimate Attenuators. The issues are ease of use, access to controls and wires too heavy for device, more than sound. In all cases the sound does change, but ever so slightly. So, it becomes a mood thing more than the fact that I cannot live with the sound. The Creek does something to the sound that makes it nicer. I asked Stan Warren about this and he relayed a story of a recent A/B between the Creek OBH 12 and a BAT 20? or 30? at a recent Chicago Audio Society meeting. The outcome? Everyone liked the Creek better, even with a slightly narrower sound stage. I like the Creeks a lot because theys sound good and are more convenient than reaching around the back of a hot amp sitting under a rack. The EVS does nothing to the sound which I like. I A/Bed the EVS versus direct CD-amp. It is a tough call. My recommendation is try the Creek and, as Tim said, the Placette on a risk free basis. The cost of used Creek OBH 12 is risk-free. Besides it has growth potential and you can just put it away for a rainy day. If you are happy with your current CD player, then the better option may be to take the less expensive route until the industry decides what it wants to do with CDs and use the money somewhere else. If you want to go into this in more detail send me an e-mail. Cheers!