I have found that a good compromise is a passive-aggressive preamp. It's kind of the best of both worlds, only more.
Passive Pre - No Regrets?
I'm interested in hearing from folks who have moved from a high quality active preamp (I'm currently using a CAT SL1 Ulitmate)to a passive preamp and have had no regrets. I'm particularly interested in hearing from those that have switched to a Placette or Sonic Euphoria (the two I'm considering). I'm using a CAT JL2 Amp feeding Merling VSM-MX.