Best Preamp = No Preamp?

A bad preamp is the worst thing you could add to a system. A good preamp can do wonders if your system is not well balanced or not too sensitive.
With a very sensitive system, the best I heard is a passive preamp, resistor attenuators wired directly into the amps, smooth extened on both ends and dynamic.
Less is more....but it needs to be enough!

I too have messed around greatly with going direct and then using preamps and going back and forth and wondering why would anyone bother with a preamp in a sytem that only has one source.

That was until I got a great preamp in my system. It was the best move I ever made. I wouldn't be without one regardless of the number of sources. It's probably not what someone trying to save a couple of bucks wants to hear, but if you get a chance to hear things with a great preamp then you'll likely never go back to direct again.

One thing that people don't always realize is how important it is for the preamp to control the interconnect cable between the preamp and amp. Passives cannot do that, but a good preamp can, if there is intention to do so in its design!

When had AA Cap mkII connected directly to Clayton M100 it sounded somehow uninvolving , dry, but after tubed Supratek Chenin was added to the chain it changed to magic, sound was musical, alive. I tried some cheap passive preamp it was disaster, much worse them without preamp.
I could neither believe nor understand how few resistors can damage sound so much.
I tried some cheap ($1000-1500) solid state preamps it was different or worse then direct. So in my experience good quality tube preamp is greatly recommended.

GOOD vacuum tube preamps seem to be common with a truly captivating, inviting sound.
I think we all seem to agree on that, more or less.