I need a preamp since I have a few analog sources on my 2 systems. I use 2 preamps that are utterly silent and impart minimal sound to the signal. Both the Holo Serene and Benchmark LA4 are as silent as it gets, and I love them both with every amp I have hooked them up to.
For me, the amp is much more important than the premp. Now if I had a different preamp that added to the sound, such as a CODA 07x, Luxman c900u, or Schitt Freya+, then that would be a totally different answer.