How much do I need to spend to get a preamp that sounds better than no preamp?

So how about you lay off? Others and I could have easily called you on it years ago; its become tiresome.

I think your the one that needs to lay off the false claims about passives with blanket statements about their ability to drive ect ect. Every time they are bought up, your on it to protect active preamps.
Here is a person you should kneel to as he is one who makes active preamps for a reason which I’ve outlined, yet he is man enough to tell what it is about passives that’s the real deal. You just deny them as a whole, just like the "detriments" of a certain autoformer.

NELSON PASS:
On one of his favourite premps, "which is passive" in it’s best sounding configuration.

" The Aleph L is a single ended Class A audio preamplifier combining new design thought

applied to traditional topology and the experience of twenty five years of amplifier design.
This preamplifier flows from a commitment to create the best sounding product: a simple
circuit with the most natural characteristic. The Aleph L integrates discrete Mosfet gain
devices and single ended Class A operation in a simple active/passive topology in order to
deliver the most natural sound possible. The Aleph L absolutely minimizes the number of
components in the signal path, and uses these only when necessary.
Unique to this preamp, patent pending, is a volume level control which combines the best
qualities of a passive attenuator and active gain circuitry:
At the 3 o’clock volume control position, the Aleph L offers a direct path from input to output.
The only component in the signal path is wire and switch contacts.
At positions below 3 o’clock, the volume control functions as a precision passive attenuator
using discrete resistor ladders.
Above 3 o’clock, active gain is added to the output signal in 2 decibel increments, for a
maximum of 10 dB.
As a result, you suffer the effects of active circuitry only when additional gain is necessary."

Cheers George

samuelb

Preamplifiers where originally designed to buffer and add additional gain but today this is rarely the need as most source components with the exception of a turntable, need additional gain for buffering. If you’re not running long cable lengths then no additional components will get you closer to the source components sonic signature (this assumes that you like that signature) and in the end a preamp regardless of type will have some impact on your system.

So true Samuel. That’s why I’ve always maintained, the most "transparent/dynamic sound" is going direct from source to amp if you can do it without the sources digital domain volume control doing any "bit stripping", it is the number one way for most transparent and dynamic sound, second is a passive preamp with good impedance matching, third is an active preamp, which you can add differing colouration’s with.

Another gem from Nelson Pass:
" We’ve got lots of gain in our electronics. More gain than some of us need or want. At least 10 db more.

Think of it this way: If you are running your volume control down around 9 o’clock, you are actually throwing away signal level so that a subsequent gain stage can make it back up.

Routinely DIYers opt to make themselves a “passive preamp” - just an input selector and a volume control.

What could be better? Hardly any noise or distortion added by these simple passive parts. No feedback, no worrying about what type of capacitors – just musical perfection.

And yet there are guys out there who don’t care for the result. “It sucks the life out of the music”, is a commonly heard refrain (really - I’m being serious here!). Maybe they are reacting psychologically to the need to turn the volume control up compared to an active preamp."

Cheers George

@atmasphere 
Bow and worship! NOW!!! 

I'm going to go pop some popcorn now. This is fixin' to get spicy!

Your such a **** kost, all you can see is your FW F5 which has such abnormally low gain, it needs an active preamp.
And that’s the second time you’ve put **** on Nelson Pass, who do you think you are? better???, your not even his hang nail.

Cheers George