difference between an active and a passive preamp?

A very good question, After having owned some of the finest tube line stages,
and almost every type of passive, and given that I have low impedances
sources with strong analog output, short, low capacitance IC from "pre
to amp, and a sensitive (1v) amp with 100 kohm input impedance, I'm not
sure what an active, any active can do to make the sound truer to the source -
warts and all. What an active will certainly do as add a coloration (many
different flavors) that, while undoubtedly a distortion of the source signal can
be, for many people, very pleasant to listen to, and it does not matter if they
believe it is a move from "true to the source" - they like the way
their actives sound and that's all that really matters. Me, I prefer to take the
preamp (as best I can) out of the tone equation and deal with the Source,
amp, and ICs for the sound I want. The best passive I've tried? The Lightspeed
Attenuator. But I have not stopped looking......

You tried the Canary with the NAD270? What is the sensitivity of the Quad
22s?
They don't need much power, do they? As for passive, I think you would need
something like the Goldpoint with a 10kohm pot and short ICs to drive the
NAD properly. I may be wrong about this, but I think tube amps are generally
better suited to passives, but if the Canary had a 50kohm pot, it would not
work too well with an NAD amp. I wonder if a used Cayin integrated will be
enough power (40 watts of so tubes) to drive the Quads. IMHO, if you want
tube sound you are not going to do with an SS amp, certainly not at your price,
and really even at higher price points.