Best preamp is no preamp: always true?

Depends on your system...and wallet. A well designed passive volume control does very little to degrade the signal...I,ve owned the Bent Audio passive around two years ago. Great product that simply smoked all before it in my system!

That said, a system and room change caused me to need gain to reach the spl's I had in the old system/room...had to go back to an active preamp.

I found that active preamps are far and few between in matching the level of sound quality I had with the Bent Audio passive unless you spend big bucks...something I did not want to do.

After around a year, I found on the used market a tubed preamp that does replace the Bent's qualities in every way.

Had I been willing to spend $3,000 and up for a preamp I'm sure it would have been a more easy a task.

My opinion on your question: "Is this a solid and robust statement?"

Passive volume controls are better than all but the best active preamps. Passive volume controls do not work well in all systems. The best active preamps "sound passive" while only adding gain...and of course more options.

Dave

S23chang

French bordeaux?...hardly "essential" to the act of drinking wine.

Volume control..."essential", ever try listening to music without it?.

Let me be more clear for you:

If one only needs to control volume, a well built passive volume control (in my case...Bent Audio passive)... you will in my experience have a hard time finding an active preamp that does not degrade sound quality to a greater degree than the passive unit at under $3,000 (new). I'll mention that I paid $1,100 (new) for my Bent Audio passive.

Very good active preamps do not degrade sound quality to any large degree...no advantage to a passive here IMO. I'll use Placette Audio as an example here because they make both types of components and are well known to audiophiles.

I have listened to the Placette passive but not the active. The Placette passive almost made it into my system and was better sounding in some ways than the Bent Audio unit I went with...yes, even passives sound different.

A search will confirm that the Placette active preamp tops the passive unit in sound quality...no supprise and answers the question...NO, it's not always true that the best preamp is no preamp, although...it can be "sometimes" true up to a point.

In case you did not know, passives do not mate with all components so will not work well in all systems...the main reason I sold... after changing speakers/amp/room as mentioned above.

Dave

"From my experience, 3V is min for passive"

I pretty much agree with you, my experience as well.

Dave

Well, lets see...I can think of a member here at Audiogon with a mega buck system that uses (or at least did use) a passive in his system....I don't think he's hard of hearing, and he's sure not a newbee.

If I recall he had the Placette Audio passive in his system.

Dave

Solman989

You can add the Manley Stingray to your list also. I guess no one will be wanting to own these integrated components now that you have let this cat out of the bag...they must sound very dull and lifeless.

Dave

Unsound

Thought I better stir pot.

Dave