Is no preamp really better that a good preamp?

Rustler, if your satisfied with your current power amp, I want you to look at the addition of a preamp as talorying the sound to your liking, bringing out the best qualities from your power amp, both complementing each other. Some power amps need the drive to sound their best. A direct connection sometimes can prove to be very trying in the long run, not very musical. If this direct connection can be proven to be true as more desirable then all of us need to dispense with the preamp and you might build your system around something that only you might like. If you can figure out a way to dispense with the power amp then I need to get a new hobby.

I can understand where Georgelofi is coming from. He is from the camp that less is more and he is not alone in his thinking. There are many people on this website that would agree with him. Once upon a time I went that path myself. Yes there was more detail, transparency improved, musicaly engaging, no. It is our own fault that many of our own systems are starting to sound sterile, maybe we audiophiles are expecting too much from them.

Rustler, I don't think Andrew9405 was rude at all but his opinions are appreciated.

"What could be better than a passive?", certainly not all the active preamps he has manufactured. I have a lot of respect for Nelson Pass and I do think his designs are simple and straight forth (minimum gain stages). However he has never marketed a passive preamp to my knowledge but does recommend them.

Unsound, you are right. I just thought it was ironic that Nelson Pass suggested that active preamps are inferior to passives yet actives are the only thing he manufactured. Maybe Georgelofi got it right when he said that there is more money to be made with active preamps.

I was curious if anyone has successfully used a passive preamp with a Pass Lab amp and then thought it sounded far superior to one of his active preamps.

But great minds do think alike when it was stated that people will buy whatever sounds good to them.

Do they throw in the preamp after buying the gloves?

Can we thank Almarg for finding that interesting bit of information?, yes we can. It is good to know that a preamp still has its uses. Some of you have been corrected, don't need to mention names but you are forgiven.

Georgelofi, you are not seriously asking me to recommend a preamp when I have no idea what amp or speakers the Op is using. You sir are asking me to put the horse before the cart. However I'm advocate for using a preamp. Detail as you seem to be hung up on as in your past posts does not necessarily result in an engaging or musical presentation and further there are many other aspects that define a good sounding system hopefully not excluding detail.

Cheers to you!