Nuforce STA200

No remote on the Sys.  It about as basic as you can get, but it works well.

The first thing to do would connect the Sys, direct, play music of all types that you often listen to ( I do say give it about a weeks time ), and determine if you like it, better, or not. My Luminous ( $1250 ) is quite a bit " cleaner " than the Sys, but, it should still give you more of a sense of " straight wire ". Passive is not new, but sources have gotten better and beefier in the output stages. Just give it a try, be patient, and see if your ears are good with it. If you like it, then, you can shop for a unit that has what you want and need. Again, if you don't, well, now you know. Enjoy ! MrD.

I'm looking forward to trying. Just curious, I wonder who makes a passive pre with all the bells and whistles?

I agree with mrdecibel, the SYS is a good way to explore the merits of using a passive. I would probably upgrade from it in my main system. 

The SYS is not the most basic as it allows two inputs.

Busy now, but agree it will be fun to use the little SYS as a standalone pre in the near future to gain that experience.  Thanks for the thought MrD.