Passive Pre - No Regrets?

I know that creating a system around a coloration will not work in the face of creating a system around no coloration. Synergies in effect do not work.

I agree that it is a worthwhile goal to build a component that is completly neutral (straight wire with gain) but since we are all using different speakers that in relative terms are all highly colored, couldn't you end up feeding a speaker with a completely uncolored signal and still have sound that is crap.

As long as we have highly colored speakers further complicated by room interactions, it seems we will always be tweaking the system to color it in a way that compensates for speaker and room colorations.

Yes. It took us years to get around this problem. A big key was working with master tapes! This allowed us to know exactly what the recording really did sound like.

Well,it is official, I love the Placette RVC - in my system it works. I'm finding it hard to justify keeping the CAT for my system and my needs, I've put it up for sale - don't get me wrong the CAT is one of the great preamplifiers,and can obvioulsy do soemtings the RVC cannot (phono, source switching, drive any cables into any loads, etc) and deserves its following, but for single source CD with the right impedance/sensitivity/blah,blah - the RVC is awfully good, especially at its price point (I'm not saying it is good for the price, it is good period - at any price). Of course, I'll be thinking about the active Placette, well, maybe after the CAT is sold.

Congatulations Pubul57!!

As long as we are making announcements I would also point out that my dynamics quest with the passive preamp is over, now I got the dynamics of my previous SS preamp and the transparency of the passive, tweaks helped a lot for this, Ribbon power cables, 2 inch Spruce Wood bases on all my gear, and biamping!!! I now use my passive preamp to drive my mono amps and a Subwoofer....amazing!

Best

A big key was working with master tapes! This allowed us to know exactly what the recording really did sound like.

Unfortunately this is not the case. You listened to tapes that were slowly deteriorating over time played on a tape deck that added it's own colorations played through speakers or headphones that also added colorations. Perhaps better than the CDs and vinyl I have but still not perfect. There is no way around this problem.